Indian court stops sale of Montblanc's luxury Gandhi pen

Feb 25, 2010, 8:54 GMT

New Delhi - German pen manufacturer Montblanc International GmbH has apologized and assured a court in southern India that it will not sell its luxury pen with images of the country's freedom icon Mahatma Gandhi, news reports said Thursday.

The high court in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, asked the Hamburg, Germany-based company to suspend sales of its limited-edition pen costing 1.4 million rupees (30,200 dollars), the Times of India newspaper said,

The judges ruled in favour of a local consumer rights organization which said the pens were an attempt to degrade Gandhi, known for his austerity, and to mock the country.

The Centre for Consumer Education in Kerala argued that the pen is in breach of an Indian law prohibiting improper use of emblems and names.

The court gave only an interim order while it considers the case, the report said.

'Mahatma Gandhi is ... considered the epitome of simplicity. Making him a symbol of a 1.4-million-rupee pen is nothing but an attempt to degrade everything that he symbolised,' the petition said.

Several Indian groups have criticized the pen, saying it was an inappropriate way to honour Gandhi, father of India's independence and a global spiritual leader.

In an affidavit filed earlier, the pen manufacturer Montblanc and its distributor tendered an unconditional apology for hurting sentiments in the country, the Hindu newspaper reported.

It said they had no intention to exploit the name of Mahatma Gandhi or to bring any disrepute on him.

Montblanc launched the gold-and-silver pen series Mahatma Gandhi Limited Edition-241 in September.

The 241 pens in the series were made to signify the 241 miles travelled by Gandhi during his famous Dandi March against British rule. The nibs show an image of Gandhi walking with a stick.