Date:13/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/13/stories/2006041317500900.htm

National

Jailed

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI : The spirits of dance bar owners and dancing girls that began to soar on Wednesdayfollowing the Bombay High Court's decision to lift the ban on their activities, dampened with the Legislative Assembly sending their association chief Manjit Singh Sethi to jail for breach of privilege.

The House Privilege Committee found Mr. Sethi guilty and its chairman, Chandrakant Chhajed (Congress), recommended 90 days' sentence for Mr. Sethi. An unsavoury statement against Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil was made by Mr. Sethi soon after Mr. Patil forced the closure of dance bars.

Mr. Sethi had threatened that the bar girls would take to the streets and would not allow wives of Ministers to move about freely. Mr. Chhajed said that the bar owner had insulted the House.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh moved a resolution sentencing Mr. Sethi to imprisonment, which the House passed unanimously. Mr. Sethi would serve the sentence only when the Assembly is in session. He would be released when the House is prorogued but would be rearrested when the next session starts, to serve the remainder of the sentence.