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The Bombay High Court has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to restore a video featuring actor Dia Mirza, after it was removed from the civic body's social media account following objections from BJP leaders and Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde.

 

The clip was part of the BMC's eco-friendly Diwali campaign and appealed to citizens not to burst firecrackers on public streets in line with the court's directions. The campaign focused on environmental protection, air pollution, noise pollution and public health.

 

A bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale expressed strong disapproval of the criticism directed at Mirza and the attempt to give a communal angle to an issue concerning the environment and public health.

 

The court said it was disturbed by the “stray comments” made by some politicians and reminded them that India is a secular country. It also termed the response to the video a reflection of a “petty mindset” and described the development as “most unfortunate”.

 

The bench observed that the BMC commissioner had been correct in choosing celebrities to spread awareness and said it was regrettable that unrelated issues had been brought into the controversy. It directed the civic body to re-upload the video, which had been taken down on Monday.

 

Emphasising the need to respect every person regardless of religion, caste or creed, the court said citizens were expected to uphold a secular spirit in accordance with the Constitution.

 

“If the clip was taken off, then it would be ideal that the same should be re-uploaded,” the bench said.

 

The court also stressed that Mumbai's social cohesion and sense of collective belonging should not be disturbed by “loose comments”. It noted that the issue involved the environment and affected everyone, since people of every religion and caste breathe the same air.

 

The judges further said such conduct was not expected from people holding public office. At the same time, they observed that the BMC should not have removed Mirza's video after the controversy and reiterated the direction to restore it.