SC:IAF can tell airmen not to sport beard

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, December 15

The Supreme Court today upheld Indian Air Force’s denial of permission to two Muslim personnel to grow beard, holding that the two orders were in compliance with Regulation 425(b) which applied only to "personnel whose religion prohibits the cutting off the hair or shaving off the face of its members".

The petitioners failed to show that they were entitled to exemption under the relevant regulation, a Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justices DY Chandrachud and LN Rao ruled.

The policy letter dated May 8, 1980, did initially permit an airman professing Islam to sport a beard of a prescribed length. This was revisited by the Air Headquarters on August 10, 1982, and a distinction was made between the cases of Muslim personnel who had already sported a beard at the time of joining service (in whose case no permission was required) and cases where personnel desire to sport a beard after joining service (in which case a formal application informing the Commanding Officer was required to be submitted).

The policy was again revisited on February 24, 2003. This time, a limited protection was granted for those who had a beard prior to January 1, 2002, at the time of enrolment but the policy also stated that no person would be allowed to maintain a beard after joining service. This position was clarified on June 9, 2003, by stating that personnel whose religion demands sporting a beard would be allowed to do so provided they were granted permission prior to the date of the letter or had grown a beard at the time of joining the Air Force. The apex court ruling came on appeals by Mohammad Zubair and Ansari Aaftab Ahmed.