Lucknow/Melbourne:
Australian swimsuit label Lisa Blue learnt the hard way that you can't put a picture of a Hindu goddess on a swimsuit and live to tell the tale. The Allahabad High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of newspaper photographs of the offending swimsuit and is taking up the matter as a PIL.
A bench comprising Justices Devi Prasad Singh and S C Chaurasia directed that a PIL of criminal nature be registered on May 10. Three advocates drew the court's attention to the photographs, saying they were intended to insult the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.
The swimsuit, from Byron Bay label Lisa Blue, shows Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and beauty - on the front and bikini-style back of the cutaway design. It was worn by a model in the Lisa Blue show at Australian Fashion Week.
The swimsuit sparked protests from various political and religious groups in India. On Sunday, Shiv Sena demonstrators burned the Australian flag and waved placards in Amritsar. The BJP has also called for an apology from the Australian government, according to London's Telegraph. The President of the Universal Society of Hinduism was quoted in the North India Times as saying that the religion's deities deserved respect.
Lisa Burke, the designer behind the label, apologised on Facebook and Twitter saying, "We apologise to the Hindu community and take this matter very seriously."
Ms Burke also issued a second apology stating "We would like to offer an apology to anyone we may have offended and advice that the image of Goddess Lakshmi will not appear on any piece of our swimwear for the new season, with a halt put on all production of the new range and pieces shown on the runway removed."