Bombay High Court directs BMC to restore Dia Mirza video

The Bombay High Court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to restore a Diwali pollution-awareness video featuring actor Dia Mirza after the civic body removed it following objections from political figures. The clip urged people not to burst firecrackers on public roads. A division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale took exception to the remarks made about Mirza’s participation in the campaign. The judges said the matter concerned the environment and should not be given a political or religious framing, emphasizing that India is a secular country. The court’s direction was reported as an order or request to re-upload the video; the reports do not confirm whether the BMC has completed the restoration. The BMC had included Mirza in a public-awareness campaign encouraging people to reduce air and noise pollution during Diwali. The initiative followed court directions on festive pollution and involved other public figures, including actor Madhuri Dixit and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane. The BMC removed Mirza’s clip while other campaign videos remained available, according to reports on the episode. Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam objected to Mirza’s...