Indian eyewear retailer Lenskart has come under the spotlight following its internal dress code guidelines going viral. An internal document, reportedly from February 2026, details guidelines of wearing of religious symbols. Whilst the company allows its employees to wear hijabs and turbans (provided they are black), the wearing of bindis and sacred threads on the wrist (kalawa/raksha sutra) is not permitted. This policy has led to accusations against the company of double standards, and selective enforcement which unfairly restricts Hindu employees.
On Wednesday 15th April 2026, CEO Peyush Bansal [https://www.instagram.com/p/DRG_I5kAcRj/] explained the policy was outdated, not acted upon and that Lenskart does not restrict religious expression. On the following day, Bansal commented on X that “Our team members have always been, and will always be, free to express their beliefs with pride”. Contrary to Bansal’s defensive position, Hindu whistleblowers describe the contrary. Former store Manager, Akask Falake, shared emails going back to November 2025, where he challenged the dress policy as he felt it was unfair to Hindus. Despite several emails and conversations on the matter with managers, the company did not change its policy. Moreover, as recently as February of this year (2026), there were reports of Lenskart penalising stores in internal audits where employees were found to be wearing Bindis or K