Overview
- The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed the amendment on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, moving orchestra and live‑music licences for hotels, restaurants and bars from the Police Act into the 2016 Prohibition of Obscene Dance Act.
- The Bill strips the power to issue orchestra or live‑music permits under Section 33 of the Maharashtra Police Act and explicitly defines live music performances for regulation under the dance‑bar law.
- The revised law raises penalties, including reported terms of up to five years’ imprisonment and fines up to Rs 25 lakh for organising or permitting obscene dance performances and up to three years or Rs 10 lakh for orchestra‑licence breaches.
- During debate legislators pressed for tougher operational checks such as mandatory CCTV recording of acts, geo‑tagging of complaints, regular police inspections and local officer accountability, while some members urged clearer legal definitions and livelihood support for women performers.
- Implementation now depends on rules, notifications and administrative orders from the state government and police, and the move closes a long‑standing legal loophole that operators used to evade the 2016 law.