Dia Mirza Diwali video: Bombay High Court tells BMC to put it back up
Mumbai's civic body pulled Dia Mirza's firecracker-free Diwali video after BJP leaders called it anti-Hindu. The High Court asked: aren't we a secular country?
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday, 3 November, ordered Mumbai’s civic body, the BMC, to restore actor Dia Mirza’s Diwali awareness video, which it had taken down after BJP leaders objected to it. “Aren’t we a secular country?” the bench asked during the hearing.
The video had asked people to celebrate a firecracker-free Diwali and not to burst crackers on public roads, in line with an earlier High Court order on air pollution. The BMC itself had asked Mirza to make it.
Why the video was taken down
The objections came from the ruling party in Maharashtra. Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde said Mirza had “always taken an anti-Hindu and anti-government stand”, while state minister Nitesh Rane questioned why the civic body was promoting her and said, “People like her are against the Sanatan Hindu religion.”
After the row grew, the BMC removed Mirza’s video from its social media accounts, while similar awareness videos featuring other celebrities stayed up.
What the High Court said
A bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale heard the matter as part of the court’s work on air pollution and firecrackers. According to the remarks reported from the courtroom, the judges said:
- “A festival is for everyone to celebrate.”
- “How can you object to someone’s participation just because that person is from some other religion?”
- An environmental issue should not be given a communal angle.
The bench said it was disturbed by the politicians’ comments and that Mirza had delivered “a really good message” on pollution, matching what the court itself had ordered. Justice Kulkarni pointed to a Supreme Court observation that Diwali is celebrated regardless of caste or religion.
The court told the BMC to put the video back online. “Please put it again and restore the confidence of the people in the Constitution,” the bench said.
Why Pakistanis are watching
Mirza, 44, has a large following in Pakistan from her Bollywood films, and the row is part of a wider debate in India about who gets to speak on Hindu festivals. Mumbai’s air quality falls sharply around Diwali every year, much like Lahore’s in smog season, which is why courts there have been pushing firecracker limits.
Neither the BMC, Mayor Tawde nor Rane had responded to the order by Tuesday evening. What to watch next: whether the video is back on the BMC’s accounts within the week, and whether the politicians withdraw their remarks.
