Bombay High Court Orders BMC to Restore Dia Mirza’s Diwali Video

The Bombay High Court has stepped into the row over actor Dia Mirza’s Diwali awareness video and told the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to put the clip back on its social media handles. The video, which urged citizens to keep firecrackers off public streets, had been removed after some political leaders objected to Mirza’s involvement.

At the hearing, Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale made it clear that a festival cannot be restricted by faith. “Aren’t we a secular country,” the bench asked, while observing that no one should be isolated from celebrating a festival because they belong to another religion.

The court’s larger point was about public health. Justice Gokhale said everyone is breathing the same air, and avoiding firecrackers does not remove the right to celebrate Diwali. The judges added that the matter should not be given any other angle.

How the video became a controversy

BMC had produced the clip as part of an awareness drive after the court’s earlier directions on firecrackers and air pollution. Several celebrities were asked to speak about a less noisy, less polluted festival. But after political objections, Mirza’s video was taken down while other celebrities’ clips stayed online.

Mirza had already explained that her contribution was made for public awareness and for healthier, more mindful celebrations. For the bench, that public-interest intent made the takedown harder to defend.

The court’s direction

The high court asked the BMC to re-upload the video rather than react under pressure. The bench added, “Please put it again and restore the confidence of the people in the Constitution.”

• The court wants the civic body to reverse its takedown.
• The bench said environmental messaging should not become communal.
• The focus must stay on pollution and public health, not a participant’s identity.

The court also referred to the Supreme Court’s observation that Diwali is now celebrated across communities, and said the balance between individual participation and community spirit should not be disturbed by loose comments.

Why this matters beyond the courtroom

For Bollywood fans, the ruling is a reminder that celebrities can support civic causes without being made the story. It also gives public campaigns a clear template: lead with the shared problem, such as air and noise pollution, and refuse to let the messenger’s background replace the issue.

Ahead of Diwali, the order returns attention to what the campaign intended: a safer, cleaner celebration for everyone. The video’s restoration is less about one actor and more about the principle that a public-health message belongs to every citizen equally.

Source: bollywoodHungama.com

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#Air Pollution#BMC#Bollywood#Bombay High Court#Dia Mirza#diwali#Secularism