Bombay HC tells BMC to put Dia Mirza's anti-pollution Diwali video back online

The Bombay High Court has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to upload again the pollution-free Diwali video featuring actor Dia Mirza. The civic body had taken the clip down after objections from political quarters. The episode has kept Mumbai talking for days.

The video was part of a special awareness drive the BMC began for Diwali, as air pollution in the city has been climbing. In it, Mirza urged Mumbaikars to avoid the noise and air pollution caused by firecrackers. Her message was that people should look after the environment and their health while celebrating the festival.

Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam objected to the video, and some other leaders did too. The BMC then deleted it from its account on X. Satam said, "Dia Mirza should not teach us how to celebrate Diwali. Diwali is our tradition, it is rooted in our very core. Nobody should come to teach us this." It has also been reported that Mayor Ritu Tawde was among those who objected. After the removal, Mirza reacted, "The age of goodness is gone. I had taken no money for this campaign."

The decision drew a sharp response from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar, who aimed her criticism at Satam and the mayor. "Branding a person a culprit because they hold a view different from ours has become the BJP's way," she said. Speaking to the media, she asked what was wrong with the BMC choosing an artist for awareness work when that artist was making Mumbaikars aware of pollution free of charge. "Announcing a decision and then backing off does not become the Mumbai municipal corporation. This is condemnable," she said.

Pednekar also spoke about Mirza, saying, "Do you know who Dia Mirza is? She has won the country many awards. She was born in Hyderabad. She speaks on environmental issues there too." On the mayor, she said, "The mayor does not even know about this whole matter. She is being insulted repeatedly. I will not respond to such a childish mayor. She should first understand how the corporation works." Of Satam, she asked, "Who is Amit Satam? He is a member of the Assembly and presumably a BJP office-bearer. But the mayor sits here, does she not? So the corporation's work should run through the mayor. Does the corporation not have its own law and existence? Is the Mumbai municipal corporation tied to the BJP's post? Mumbaikars should understand that Mumbai is being insulted and the corporation is going on the back foot every time."

The dispute over the removal then reached the High Court. A bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale heard it. The judges expressed regret that a video meant to spread awareness about environmental, air and noise pollution had been given a different colour. They also held that picking a celebrity for the campaign was the right call by the BMC Commissioner.

The bench said the civic body should not have pulled the video once the controversy broke, and that it would be appropriate to upload it again. It directed the BMC to do so. In its observations the court said, "Our country is secular. This is a question of the environment. People of all religions and castes breathe in this country." It added that every person in society must be respected whatever their religion, caste or creed.

The judges further underlined that people holding public office are expected to maintain harmony and a spirit of secularism. A city like Mumbai, they said, rests on a strong sense of unity and social bonds, and petty remarks should not damage that. The court stressed that the questions of environment and pollution are not confined to one religion, and that clean air is essential for every citizen.

What began as an environmental appeal had turned into a political argument over how the BMC takes its decisions. The court's order has now brought attention back to Mirza's video.