Lenskart founder and CEO Peyush Bansal issued a clarification on Tuesday regarding the eyewear retailer’s employee grooming policy, stating that religious markers including bindis and tilaks are not restricted under company guidelines. The statement came after an outdated version of the policy circulated on social media, triggering criticism from users who interpreted the document as prohibiting the display of religious symbols in the workplace.
The controversy emerged when screenshots of what appeared to be Lenskart’s grooming standards began spreading across Twitter and Instagram on Monday evening. The circulated version listed specific dress codes and appearance guidelines that, to some observers, seemed incompatible with the wearing of traditional Hindu religious markers. The posts gained traction amid broader discourse in India about workplace inclusivity and the protection of employees’ rights to express their faith in professional environments.
Bansal’s clarification addressed the concern head-on, emphasizing that the company has revised its grooming policy on multiple occasions since its inception, and the version that had gone viral was substantially outdated and no longer in use. The founder stated that Lenskart’s current policy explicitly permits employees to wear bindis, tilaks, and other religious or cultural markers without restriction or penalty. This revision represents a deliberate move by the company to align its human resources protocols with evolving workplace norms around religious expression and cultural diversity in India’s corporate sector.
The incident highlights the persistent gap between legacy company documentation and contemporary workplace practices at many Indian firms. As organizations scale rapidly and modernize their policies, older versions often remain accessible through email archives, shared documents, or institutional memory, creating potential for misinterpretation when circulated without context. In this case, the timing of the policy’s surfacing—amid heightened social media engagement around cultural and religious expression in workplaces—amplified its impact exponentially within a span of hours.
The broader implications of this episode extend beyond a single company’s administrative procedures. India’s corporate sector has increasingly grappled with questions about the boundaries between professional standards and cultural expression. While organizations argue that grooming policies ensure brand consistency and professional appearance, employees and civil society observers have pushed back, contending that such policies can inadvertently create barriers to inclusion or be interpreted as discriminatory regardless of stated intent. Lenskart’s rapid public clarification suggests awareness of these sensitivities and the reputational risks of being perceived as intolerant toward religious expression.
The e-commerce and retail sectors, in which Lenskart operates, face particular scrutiny on diversity and inclusion metrics given their customer-facing operations and large workforces spanning urban and semi-urban India. Young employees entering these industries increasingly expect workplace cultures that respect their religious and cultural identities rather than requiring them to be bracketed off during working hours. Bansal’s statement implicitly acknowledges this generational shift in workforce expectations and values.
Moving forward, the incident underscores the importance of transparency and regular communication when organizations update internal policies, particularly around sensitive domains like appearance and expression. Companies that fail to clearly communicate policy revisions risk having obsolete rules weaponized against them on social media, regardless of current practices. For Lenskart specifically, the next test will be whether this clarification translates into demonstrable workplace culture and recruitment practices that genuinely reflect the founder’s stated position. Industry observers will likely monitor whether the company takes additional steps—such as publishing updated policies publicly or releasing diversity reports—to reinforce its commitment to religious and cultural inclusion.
