The Grihalakshmi cover featuring a model breastfeeding an infant has sparked quite a debate. Now, a criminal case has been filed against the magazine under Sections 3 and 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.
The case filed in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) here by advocate Vinod Mathew Wilson has listed Mathrubhoomi Publications managing director P.V Gangadharan, Grihalakshmi managing editor P.V Chandran, editor-in-charge M.P Gopinath and Gilu Joseph, the model who featured on the cover page, as accused.
The offence is punishable with imprisonment up to two years.
“The cover is an act of inducement which represents a woman in an indecent manner. There is no bona fide intention or good faith other than escalating the sales of the magazine,” says Mr. Wilson. The magazine has featured Gilu Joseph, a professional model, on its cover whereas it carries pictures of real mothers on inside pages. “Had they gone for a real mother and baby, there would have been no issue,” he added.
Since the magazine hit news stands early this week, there have been arguments both favouring and slamming the cover. “To justify the picture, they have come up with a spate of similar photographs. But the picture of Brazilian Minister Manuela D'Avila breastfeeding her baby is not a posed one. It’s a real situation and real mother,” he said pointing out that the picture is also a violation of the rights of the baby. “I respect and appreciate the model for her boldness and dedication, but the picture is used as a marketing tactic,” he said.
The magazine published the picture on its cover page as part of a campaign with the caption ‘mothers tell Kerala: don’t stare, we want to breastfeed’.
The hearing of the case has been scheduled for March 16.
