No obscenity in breastfeeding cover of Grihalakshmi magazine: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has ruled that there is no obscenity in the picture of a women breastfeeding a baby on the cover of Grihalakshmi magazine. While giving the ruling in the case, the High Court observed, “obscenity lies in the eyes of the beholder”.

The picture had appeared on the cover of the Malayalam magazine in its March 1, 2018 edition. The caption on the cover page of the magazine said, "Mothers tell Kerala, 'please don't stare, we need to breastfeed'."

A widespread debate was triggered after the picture appeared on the magazine cover. While some appreciated the magazine for the bold move, saying that it had rightly initiated a debate over the issue, some had accused the magazine of promoting obscenity.

A 27-year-old model, Gilu Joseph, was featured in the cover breastfeeding a child. Gilu, who is a lyricist in Malayalam movies apart from being a model, was widely appreciated for her bold move. She had also worked as an air-hostess with Fly Dubai airlines.

She hails from Kumily in Idukki district in Kerala and has two sisters. According to reports published when the magazine cover came out, her family was completely against the photoshoot which showed her breastfeeding for the magazine.