BOMBAY HIGH COURT SLAMS BMC OVER REMOVAL OF DIA MIRZA’S DIWALI VIDEO, ORDERS RESTORATION
November 3, 2026
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 3: The Bombay High Court has expressed strong displeasure over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) decision to remove actor Dia Mirza’s video appealing to citizens to celebrate an environmentally friendly Diwali by avoiding firecrackers and noise pollution. The court described the removal as “unfortunate” and asked the civic body to restore the video on its social media platforms.
The observations came during a hearing of a suo motu public interest litigation concerning Diwali celebrations and pollution. The bench said that goodwill messages from celebrities promoting public awareness should not have been removed and emphasised that every person should be allowed to participate in festivals celebrated across the country.
The court also expressed concern over comments directed at celebrities who had participated in the civic body's awareness campaign. It observed that the removal appeared to have taken place without considering the purpose of the court's earlier directions and the broader objective of spreading public awareness.
The controversy erupted after Dia Mirza's video was removed from the BMC's social media accounts on Sunday, following objections raised by BJP's Mumbai unit president Ameet Satam. In the video, the actor had urged people to avoid activities contributing to air and noise pollution during Diwali.
Satam had criticised appeals against firecrackers, alleging that certain elements were attempting to dictate how Hindus should celebrate the festival. He also questioned the civic body's decision to involve celebrities in its environmental awareness campaign without consulting the BJP, which controls the civic body.
Videos featuring actors Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad, along with cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, continued to remain on the BMC's social media accounts even after Mirza's video was removed.
Reacting to the controversy, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray criticised the civic administration, while AIMIM spokesperson Waris Pathan questioned why Mirza had been singled out when other celebrities had also participated in the campaign.
The High Court's intervention has brought renewed attention to the role of civic authorities in public environmental-awareness campaigns and the controversy surrounding the removal of messages promoting a pollution-conscious Diwali.
