Mumbai: Lenskart co-founder and CEO Peyush Bansal has addressed a major controversy sparked by an old internal grooming policy document that appeared to prohibit employees from wearing religious symbols such as bindi or tilak, while permitting black-coloured turbans and hijabs. The viral document, titled “Lenskart Staff Uniform and Grooming Guide,” triggered widespread criticism on social media for what many perceived as unequal treatment of religious expressions.
In a series of statements on X (formerly Twitter), Bansal explained that the circulating document is outdated and does not represent the company’s current guidelines. He acknowledged a “language lapse” in the earlier version and apologised for the confusion and concern it has caused among employees and the public. “Our policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and we continue to review our guidelines regularly,” Bansal wrote.
Hi, all. I’ve been seeing an inaccurate policy document going viral about Lenskart.
— Peyush Bansal (@peyushbansal) April 15, 2026
I want to speak directly that this document does not reflect our present guidelines.
Our policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and we…
He further clarified that the document in question was an internal training material, not an official HR policy, and that the company had already identified the incorrect reference to bindi and tilak internally on February 17 — well before it went viral. The problematic line was removed immediately at that time. Bansal emphasised, “Let me be absolutely clear. Lenskart does not and will never restrict any form of respectful religious expression. This includes bindi, tilak, or any such symbols of faith.”
The entrepreneur took personal responsibility as founder and CEO, admitting he should have caught and corrected the issue earlier. He mentioned that the company has revised its grooming policy multiple times over the years and has now directed teams to implement stricter review processes for all internal materials, which he will personally oversee going forward. Bansal reiterated that Lenskart remains committed to learning and improving while ensuring no curbs on religious expression.
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