The govt of Maharashtra has confirmed that cultural centres will continue to operate under the current licensing rules (Representative image generated using AI)
It does not cover cultural centres or other categories of public entertainment regulated under rules framed by police commissioners and district collectors under Section 33(1) of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951. The issue was whether such applications should be dealt with under the public entertainment rules framed under the Maharashtra Police Act or the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016. Resolving the ambiguity, the home department has directed all police commissioners and district collectors to process fresh licence applications and renewal requests from cultural centres and other entertainment establishments in accordance with the existing rules applicable in their respective jurisdictions and established procedures.