Bombay High Court ‘Disturbed’ by BMC’s Removal of Dia Mirza’s Pollution-Free Diwali Video

The court called the incident “unfortunate” and suggested re-uploading the video to restore public confidence, stressing that environmental awareness must not be given a divisive angle.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) decision to remove an anti-pollution Diwali campaign video featuring actor Dia Mirza, saying it was “disturbed” by the incident and describing it as “unfortunate”.

The court suggested that it would be “ideal” for the civic body to re-upload the video to “restore confidence of people in constitution”. The observations came a day after the BMC took down Mirza’s message following objections from Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde and BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam.

A bench of Justices Girish S Kulkarni and Neela K Gokhale was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) and related petitions concerning noise and air pollution caused by firecrackers during festivals.

The court had on October 26 asked the BMC to involve celebrities in campaigns highlighting the harmful effects of firecrackers. The civic body subsequently roped in Mirza, cricketer Ajinkya Rahane and actor Madhuri Dixit to spread awareness.

In its order, the bench said it was disturbed by comments directed at celebrities who had participated in the civic body’s public awareness initiative. It noted that the campaign sought to highlight the impact of firecrackers on air and noise pollution and promote togetherness.

The court observed that the campaign had been undertaken with a “solemnity” and there was “no room for factionalism”. It said the incident appeared to have taken place without considering the purpose of the campaign and the court’s earlier orders.

“There is no scope for knee-jerk reaction of few people at the cost of society at large,” the bench said.

During the hearing, the judges also said there was no need to introduce other issues into a campaign focused on public health and the environment, adding that people from any caste or creed could participate in such an initiative.

The bench stressed that environmental concerns should not be given a different angle or “hijacked by any other angle”, noting that everyone breathes the same air.

The court said Mumbai’s social fabric depended on a sense of “togetherness” and cautioned that it should not be disturbed by “loose comments”.

“Please put it again and restore confidence of people in the society and Constitution. These are stray thoughts of one or two persons. We cannot appreciate this,” the bench said.

The court’s remarks came amid the controversy over the removal of Mirza’s video, while other celebrity messages from the BMC’s pollution-free Diwali campaign remained available on its social media platforms.