Representative image. Gnoeee, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
The campaign was run under High Court directions on firecracker pollution, so the takedown turned a court-backed public health message into a political dispute. The court has now said the BMC should not have removed the clip and asked for it to be put back.
The Bombay High Court on 3 November 2026 asked the civic body in Mumbai to put back actor Dia Mirza’s pollution-free Diwali appeal, which the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had removed from its social media pages after objections from BJP leaders. The Dia Mirza video was part of an awareness campaign the court itself had asked for, and the bench said it was disturbed by comments made by some politicians, reminding them that India is a secular country.
A division bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale made the remarks while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (a case the court started on its own) on noise and air pollution from firecrackers during festivals, The Indian Express reported.
What the Bombay High Court said about the Dia Mirza video
Reports describe two kinds of statements: passages from the written order, and remarks the judges made orally in court. The difference matters, because only the order is the court’s formal record.
According to The Indian Express, the written order said the BMC had taken “very effective steps” through the campaign and that “there was no room for factionalism”. Another passage quoted by the paper called the episode unfortunate and said: “There is no scope for knee-jerk reaction of few people at the cost of society at large.”
The oral remarks were sharper. “We are deeply pained with whatever has happened,” the bench said, as quoted by The Indian Express. LiveLaw reported that the judges asked, “Aren’t we a secular country,” and that Justice Gokhale observed: “Everyone is breathing the same air, be it anyone.” LiveLaw also reported that Justice Kulkarni said the politicians had spoken without noting the court’s earlier order, which allowed everyone to take part in the awareness drive.
On the Dia Mirza video itself, the court said, according to PTI: “If the clip was taken off, then it would be ideal that the same should be re-uploaded.” PTI and LiveLaw both reported that the bench directed the BMC to re-upload the clip. PTI also reported the court as saying the municipal commissioner was correct in choosing celebrities for the campaign, and that the BMC should not have deleted Mirza’s clip after the controversy.
Why BJP leaders objected to the pollution-free Diwali appeal
The objection began with Ameet Satam, the BJP’s Mumbai unit chief. In a post on X on Sunday, 1 November, he wrote, as quoted by Scroll: “We don’t need lessons on how to celebrate Diwali from Dia Mirza.” He added: “Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture.”
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde backed the objection after the clip was removed. “She has always been anti-Hindu. We have blacklisted her,” she told reporters, according to PTI. Scroll, citing NDTV, quoted Tawde as saying: “That is the reason for opposing her, not her religion,” and “We believe in secularism.” The Week reported that she also cited Mirza’s earlier public positions, including her opposition to statements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BJP minister Nitesh Rane said, according to PTI: “Dia Mirza tweeted about Diwali, but she never tweets or offers such advice during Eid, Muharram or Bakri Eid.” He said he would discuss the matter with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi questioned why the appeal was removed and said he found nothing objectionable in it, PTI reported. Opposition parties, including the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP), criticised the takedown. Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad demanded that the BMC restore the video and apologise to the actor.
What the BMC and Dia Mirza have said
The reports read for this article did not record any submission by the BMC’s lawyers in court on why the clip was removed. Outside court, Scroll reported that the civic body had not explained the reason for deleting it. Civic officials told PTI that the BMC had approached Mirza, that she recorded the appeal without any fee, and that she was among the most deserving people for the campaign because of her environmental work. The officials said they had not expected the backlash.
Mirza is the UN Environment Programme’s Goodwill Ambassador for India. Speaking to The Indian Express, as quoted by The Week, she said: “Why would anyone be critical of a video the Honourable Bombay High Court and the BMC have made me record in public interest?” In a social media post reported by PTI, she wrote in Hindi that she had not taken any money for the campaign.
The Dia Mirza video was the only clip removed. Campaign videos by actors Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane stayed on the BMC’s X and Instagram pages, PTI and Dainik Bhaskar reported.
Timeline: how the Dia Mirza video row unfolded
NewsPlainly put the dates together from the reports read. Two sources give different dates for the court’s celebrity direction, so both are listed with their source.
| Date | What happened | Reported by |
|---|---|---|
| 22 September 2026 | High Court bans firecrackers on public streets and laser lights during festivities, all year | Scroll, citing Bar and Bench |
| 15 October 2026 | Court directs the BMC, state government and pollution board to run awareness campaigns and enlist celebrities | Scroll, citing Bar and Bench |
| 26 October 2026 | Court asks the BMC to involve celebrities; BMC brings in Rahane, Dixit and Mirza | The Indian Express |
| 1 November 2026, 8.25 am | Mirza’s appeal posted on the BMC’s X handle; Satam objects the same day | PTI (civic official), Scroll |
| 1 or 2 November 2026 | BMC removes the clip: “later the same night”, a civic official told PTI; other PTI copies and Dainik Bhaskar say Monday, 2 November | PTI, Dainik Bhaskar |
| 2 November 2026 | Mayor Tawde’s remarks; Mirza questions the removal | PTI, The Week |
| 3 November 2026 | Bombay High Court calls the row unfortunate and asks the BMC to re-upload the clip | LiveLaw, The Indian Express, PTI |
What happens next with the BMC campaign
The court’s message to the BMC is to restore the Dia Mirza video. The reports read, published or updated up to about 1.10 pm on 3 November, did not give a deadline for the re-upload or a date for the next hearing, and did not say whether the BMC had already put the video back.
The underlying case is about firecracker noise and air pollution, and the 22 September ban on firecrackers on public streets remains in force all year, according to Scroll’s account of the earlier orders. NewsPlainly has also reported on the Supreme Court’s green crackers window for Delhi-NCR, a separate case on the same Diwali question.
More of the judges’ remarks are in LiveLaw’s report of the hearing. A copy of the 3 November order was not available in the material checked for this article.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Dia Mirza's Diwali video removed?
The BMC took it down after BJP Mumbai chief Ameet Satam objected on X. Scroll reported that the BMC did not give a reason.
What did the Bombay High Court say about the Dia Mirza video?
It said the row was unfortunate, that there was no room for factionalism, and that the clip should be re-uploaded. Orally, the judges said India is a secular country.
Which judges heard the case?
Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale, in a suo motu case on firecracker noise and air pollution.