MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court slammed the BJP leaders for passing the controversial remarks against film actor Dia Mirza for her peaceful and pollution free Diwali celebration message. The court said India is secular country and politicians should not give the religious colour to festival and its awareness campaign.
A Division Bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale said it was “disturbed by the stray comments made by some politicians” against Mirza.
The court emphasised that the actor had participated in the campaign in accordance with its earlier directions and that the message she delivered was aimed at creating awareness about air pollution and public safety.
The video was prepared by Mirza at the request of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as part of its initiative to spread awareness about the court’s directions prohibiting the bursting of firecrackers on public streets.
However, the civic body’s decision to feature the actor triggered a political controversy after BJP Mumbai Unit president Amit Satam and Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawade objected to her participation and labelled her “anti-Hindu”.
Following the objections, the video was taken down from the BMC’s social media handle, triggering questions over the civic body’s decision to withdraw an awareness message that had been prepared in accordance with the court’s directions.
Justice Kulkarni said the politicians who had criticised Dia Mirza appeared to have made their remarks without considering the court’s earlier order, which had permitted everyone to participate in the awareness initiative.
The judge observed that Mirza had delivered a “really good message” on the issue of air pollution and had acted in accordance with the court’s directions. He termed the objections raised against her participation as “really unfortunate”.
The Bench also questioned why the actor’s participation in an environmental awareness campaign should become a matter of religious controversy. It underlined that the campaign was intended to create public awareness about the harmful effects of firecrackers and the need to follow the restrictions imposed by the court.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s observation that Diwali is celebrated by people irrespective of their caste or religion, the High Court questioned the logic behind objecting to Mirza’s participation on religious grounds.
“She acted as per the directions of the court,” the judges observed, making it clear that the actor’s involvement was part of an initiative undertaken in compliance with judicial directions.
The Bench further remarked that the approach adopted by some corporators and politicians was not correct and cautioned them against giving the matter “any other angle”. The court’s observations highlighted the distinction between an environmental awareness campaign and the political or religious interpretations being attached to it.
The court’s remarks also underline that restrictions on bursting firecrackers on public streets should be viewed in the context of maintaining public safety and protecting the environment rather than being interpreted through a religious or political lens.
