Bombay High Court Orders BMC to Re-upload Dia Mirza’s Firecracker-Free Diwali Video Amid Political Row

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

The Bombay High Court directed the Mumbai civic body to immediately re-upload actor Dia Mirza’s awareness video appealing for an eco-friendly, firecracker-free Diwali, NDTV reported on November 3, 2026. A Division Bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Dr. Neela Gokhale reprimanded the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for removing the clip, stating that India is a secular country and that air pollution affects everyone regardless of religion or caste.

The controversy began after the BMC recruited Mirza as part of a public awareness campaign alongside other prominent figures, including actor Madhuri Dixit and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane. While the civic body retained the messages of other participants, it deleted Mirza’s video following objections from Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and local officials. Mumbai BJP president and MLA Ameet Satam, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde, and Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane criticized the actor’s participation, with Tawde and Rane accusing her of taking an anti-Hindu stance and questioning why she had not made similar appeals during Muslim festivals such as Eid and Bakri Eid.

During the court proceedings, the Bench dismissed the political backlash as a petty mindset. Justice Kulkarni noted that politicians made negative remarks without reviewing the court’s earlier orders permitting public participation in the environmental initiative. The judges emphasized that Diwali is celebrated across castes and religions, and that raising concerns about air pollution does not interfere with anyone’s right to celebrate. Justice Gokhale observed that everyone breathes the same air and that health and environmental issues leave no room for factionalism.

Following the court’s intervention, Soni Razdan weighed in on the debate through an Instagram post on late Tuesday night, describing the practice of bursting firecrackers as anti-life and anti-national given the health hazards young children face from air pollution. Razdan later disabled the comments section on her post. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis downplayed the dispute, telling reporters in Pune that the matter was a very small issue not at his level and maintaining that the High Court had not formally reprimanded the municipal corporation. The Congress party subsequently demanded an apology from the ruling BJP and called for action against the civic officials responsible for taking down the campaign clip.