The Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR) welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on dance bars. At a press conference on Thursday, the association said that most provisions that were struck down would help people run the bars better.

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There are five points on which the Supreme Court has ruled, said Vishwapal Shetty, honorary general secretary, AHAR. "First is scrapping the one-kilometre radius rule that prohibited bars near schools, religious sites and such. Rules about a wall between dancers and patrons, and CCTV cameras inside bars have also been struck down. But bars have to adhere to the 6.30 pm to 11.30 pm timing. Also, patrons can't throw money at dancers," he said. "These are conditions that are acceptable. We feel bar girls who had lost out on work will be able to come back."

AHAR members said background checks on bar dancers had never been a problem. "There was always security. No dancer faced manhandling," said Shetty.

On the point of a written contract between the owner and dancers, Bharat Singh Thakur, chairman of AHAR's Performance Bar Association (APBA) , said: "We keep records of bar dancers."

Thakur's bar was among the three to get licence under the new rules set by SC.

"It was not possible to run a place a kilometre from Mumbai. Police would cause trouble with or without a

licence. Now tourists can visit too. And dancers would get their jobs back," Thakur said.