After a great deal of legal dispute, a Muslim soldier who insisted on growing beard on religious grounds has been dismissed by the Indian Army and termed him ‘An Undesirable Soldier’. His dismissal was upheld by the Kochi bench of Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) recently.

The Muslim soldier is identified as Maktumhusen, 34, and he is from Dharwad in Karnataka. He was a sepoy in the Army Medical Corps for nearly 10 years and sought permission from his Commanding Officer (CO) to have a beard on religious grounds.

The tribunal dismissed his plea that he had the right to grow a beard under Article 25 of the Constitution on religious freedom, which concerns religious freedom, just like Sikhs. The tribunal said that having a beard was not among the fundamental tenets of Islam.

“The Army is a disciplined force and denominational differences among its members based on religion, caste etc. cannot be permitted. The practice of wearing a beard claimed on the basis of religion by the applicant which goes against Regulation 665 of the Defence Service Regulations, is not conducive to the discipline of the Force,” it said.

Tribunal Rules:

Sikhs are permitted to keep a well-maintained beard and untrimmed hair across the Services. But the Army, Navy, and the Air force have differing rules. The Army allows non-Sikhs, especially in certain regiments, to sport a temporary beard.

The Air Force does not allow display of religious symbols on duty or at parades. But Muslims who had a beard at the time of enrolment before January 1, 2002, can keep it. The Navy allows its personnel to change their appearance. But the CO’s permission is mandatory. Medical grounds grant exemption from the rules.