MUMBAI, Nov. 4 -- The Bombay High Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the removal of actor Dia Mirza's video from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) firecracker-free Diwali campaign following objections raised by BJP leaders. Removal of the video was "very unfortunate" and contrary to the "secular spirit" of the country, the court said, and urged the civic body to restore it. "No person can be isolated from celebrating a festival," a division bench of justices GS Kulkarni and Dr Neela Gokhale said, asserting that efforts towards environmental protection must not be given a "communal colour". The judges said they were "deeply pained" by the knee jerk reactions to the actor's video, particularly when the campaign was undertaken in compliance with the court's directions to involve celebrities for spreading awareness about the ill-effects of bursting crackers. "What's been reported yesterday is very unfortunate. We are deeply pained, especially when it concerns the order passed by the court. There's no question of any knee-jerk reaction. We, the people, are concerned. This means everyone from any caste, creed, or religion, who can bring this sensitisation to the society. Why is this person picked up for raising awareness, is of great displeasure for us," the judges said. The court had on October 25 urged celebrities to volunteer for awareness campaigns while hearing a suo motu petition pertaining to noise pollution caused by religious processions across the state, including in Mumbai. On Tuesday, the court noted that the video, featuring Mirza's appeal to citizens not to burst firecrackers or contribute to air and noise pollution, was removed after BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam and Mayor Ritu Tawde took strong objection to her participation in the anti-firecracker campaign. The mayor accused Mirza of repeatedly opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his initiatives, trolling him, and taking positions against Hindutva. She clarified that though Mumbai belongs to people of all religions and she and other BJP corporators worked for everyone, their agenda was Hindutva. During the hearing, the court said that the municipal commissioner had acted in the "proper spirit of constitutionalism" and there was no need to take down the video from social media platforms. "The incident is contrary to the court's observation. How do you object to a person from participating in the awareness campaign? Are we not a secular country? This is very unfortunate. You don't have any actual thoughts, you go on to say anything", the bench remarked. The high court further observed that Mirza's video "rendered a very good message to the society". "People are discouraging citizens from obeying the court's orders and giving it some different colour. She had rendered a very good message in terms of pollution. There was nothing bad in it. But to give a colour to her message is very unfortunate," the judges said. Asserting that the video should not have been taken down, the judges urged the civic body to put it back and restore the confidence of the society. "This is just some stray thought of one or two people, which sparked the situation. We have all praises for the commissioner for what she has done," they added. The bench also clarified that it had utmost appreciation for celebrities who had devoted time to spread awareness in compliance with the court's order. The court asked the state government, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, civic bodies and police to consider prescribing specific timings for bursting firecrackers during Diwali. Responding to the court's remarks, BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam, whose post on X triggered the removal of Mirza's video, said they would study the court's observations and its context as there was no specific petition about the video as such. "We have utmost respect for the court.We clarify that there is no objection to any individual over their religion, caste or creed, but only on the basis of their association with and sympathy for anti-India forces, anti-national elements and the tukde tukde gang. If a proper background check is done, such incidents can be avoided," Satam said....