The Bombay high court recently directed the Mumbai police to take action in accordance with the law against foreigners who act in Hindi films (as dancers, etc) if they were doing so without proper visa and work permit.
A division bench of justices VM Kanade and PD Kode, disposing a petition filed by producer and human rights activist Bunty Srivastava, said: "We direct the police officer concerned to consider the said statement and take decision in accordance with the law."
Srivastava, in his petition filed through advocate Sushan Kunjuraman, had alleged that leading production houses, by employing foreigners as dancers and performers in Hindi films, were depriving local dancers/performers of jobs. He has also alleged that these foreign performers often did not have valid visas and work permits, posing a threat to national security.
Kunjuraman claimed that the petitioner's NGO had received a communication from Cine Dancers Association stating that 'Foreign dancer girls and boys are being employed by most Hindi film production houses due to which members of the Cine Dancers Association are now jobless".
Accordingly, the NGO wrote to film producers seeking details of foreign dancers/performers they had been employing. However, it received no reply. It then wrote to authorities including the ministry of home affairs, seeking details on foreign performers. Information was also sought under the Right to Information Act, but to no avail.
Srivastava then moved the high court seeking directive to the police and a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the issue—illegal entry into India of foreigners and illegal (without work permit, proper visas) of foreign dancer girls and boys foreign tourists in Hindi films, employment given by various aforesaid Hindi film production houses with illegal support from film co-coordinators and film federations. The petitioner also wants an appropriate FIR registered against the offenders in the film Industry.
Additional public prosecutor FR Sheikh informed the court that the special branch (CID) police had already recorded the statement of the petitioner. Based on this statement, the court disposed the petition.
p_mustafa@dnaindia.net
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