Is India not secular? Re-upload Diwali video: Bombay High Court on Dia Mirza clip

Stating it was “disturbed” by the deletion of a video featuring actor Dia Mirza for a pollution-free Diwali campaign following objections by some political leaders, the Bombay High Court, while underlining the secular credentials of the country, on Tuesday asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to restore the clip.

Hearing suo motu PIL on festival noise and air pollution, the bench of Justice Girish S Kulkarni and Justice Neela K Gokhale expressed its displeasure over the BMC pulling down the video after Mayor Ritu Tawde and BJP Mumbai chief Ameet Satam objected to Mirza’s inclusion.

Calling it “unfortunate” that the issue had been given a “different colour”, the bench said it would be “ideal” if the campaign content is put up again to “restore confidence of people in the Constitution”, noting that the city of Mumbai survives on the feeling of “togetherness” and “the balance ought not to be disturbed by any loose comments”.

We would desire that in the event any goodwill message of any celebrity was taken off from the corporation's social media, it would be ideal if the same is put back, in the spirit of what the Supreme Court has observed that the festival is for everyone to celebrate and no person can be isolated from any festival being celebrated in the country," the bench noted.