Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that those who manage social media accounts have the authority to delete videos they have uploaded.
Speaking to reporters on this matter, Devendra Fadnavis said, “I do not think the High Court reprimanded the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The court may have expressed an opinion. But this matter did not properly come up for hearing before the High Court. Therefore, there was no situation in which a reprimand could be issued there.
Dia Mirza’s video was removed. That was the decision of the Mumbai municipal corporation. When managing a social media account, the authority to decide what to keep and what to remove lies with the respective administration. They have done that.
Dia Mirza may be a great actress. But she is not the country’s most important leader. So, I do not consider this to be an issue at my level. Ask me about matters at my level,” he said.
Background: The Mumbai Municipal Corporation carried out an awareness campaign on a pollution-free Diwali. For this campaign, awareness videos featuring celebrities such as actresses Dia Mirza, Madhuri Dixit, Nishikant Wadh, and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane were released on the Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s social media pages.
In it, “Dia Mirza, in her video, urged the public to celebrate Diwali in a healthy and safe manner. Considering the rising air pollution in Mumbai, she asked people not to burst firecrackers for Diwali.”
Mumbai BJP MLA Amit Satam, who objected to Dia Mirza’s video, had said, “Dia Mirza does not need to teach us how to celebrate Diwali. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture.” Following this, Dia Mirza’s video was removed from the municipal corporation’s social media pages.
In this situation, the bench of the Mumbai High Court, comprising judges Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale, which heard the case related to this matter, said, “The irresponsible remarks made by some politicians have caused great mental anguish. India is a secular country. They have made these comments without taking into account the court’s earlier order.
This attitude of municipal corporation members and some politicians is not right. They should not give this any other angle. Dia Mirza acted strictly in accordance with the court’s instructions.
This is entirely an environmental issue. Do not give it any other dimension. We all breathe the same air.
The incident that happened yesterday (the video removal issue) was very unfortunate. We are deeply saddened by it. Such a hasty reaction was unnecessary. The message shared in that video was intended to benefit all people, without any distinction of religion or caste.
In matters related to the environment, we should cultivate goodwill, unity, and a sense of togetherness with society. What kind of narrow-mindedness is this? We do not accept this. If someone comes forward and raises awareness, why should they be criticized?
The removal by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation of Dia Mirza’s video about celebrating an eco-friendly Diwali has caused deep dissatisfaction and regret. It ordered that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation re-upload the video.”