Maybe in India, not here in the USA.
The article's out of Melbourne (Australia, presubably), and according to the article the "Mantyhose" website is based in the UK.
popular? yes. lots of men wear them, but entirely out of function. cowboys wear them so their legs don’t chafe from their pants rubbing against their legs constantly. hunters, campers, hikers, mountain climbers, etc wear them for warmth. skaters and bikers wear them for protection.
but none of them are for fashion.