Mumbai lawyer issues notice to fashion designer

Mumbai lawyer issues notice to fashion designer

Sabyasachi Mukherjee under the scanner for using semi-naked models for a mangalsutra advertisement

A Mumbai-based lawyer, Ashutosh J Dubey, has issued a legal notice to Indian fashion designer, Sabyasachi Mukerjee over the depiction of "semi-naked models" in a mangalsutra (a piece of jewellery worn by married women) advertisement. The lawyer asserted it was obscene and outrageous to the Hindu community and to the Hindu marriage.

The legal notice highlighted that in the advertisement campaign for the Royal Bengal Mangalsutra, a female model was shown wearing a black brassier and the designer's mangalsutra even as her head rested on a shirtless male model.

'Mangal' signifies that the 'sutra' (thread) is auspicious and unites two souls, the lawyer added. The groom ties the auspicious thread around the bride's neck on the day of their holy nuptials to signify that their relationship would be as auspicious as the thread and that they will be mates for life, he further stated.

Adding on to the significance and sanctity attached, it is stated that the mangalsutra is a symbol of marriage that the wife is meant to wear all her life to indicate the love and commitment between spouses. A majority of people associate it with a religious custom, the lawyer said. There is also a sound scientific justification behind it, he added.

The Hindu culture emphasizes wearing a mangalsutra made of gold and it is often advised that it should be hidden behind the inners, the notice stated. The lawyer took particular note that, on the other hand, the promotional advertisements featured heterosexual and same-sex couples posing for pictures wearing the mangalsutra.

Such photos featuring models dressed in intimate apparel and wearing a mangalsutra are outrageous and hurt religious sentiments of the Hindu community, the notice read.

Demanding that the advertisement be pulled down, the lawyer also sought an apology from the designer within 15 days. In the event it is not down, the designer would be fully responsible for all costs, risks, responsibilities, expenses and consequences, the lawyer cautioned.