page_title: Beard and haircut laws by country
section_title: India
hierarchical_section_title: Beard and haircut laws by country / Present laws / India
caption_attribution_description: An Indian army soldier tests a hand gun during small arms training as part of Malabar 2006 aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) off the coast of Mumbai, India, Oct. 26, 2006. During the multinational exercise, U.S., Indian and Canadian armed forces train together to increase interoperability between the three nations and support international security cooperation missions. The Indian soldiers are assigned to the 9th Battalion, Sikh Infantry.
context_page_description: Laws regarding haircut or beard do not exist in various parts of the world, but, some countries have these laws, generally, involving the haircut style of male adults. The reasons are the ultranationalism and gender roles existent in some countries.
context_section_description: In the Armed, Paramilitary and Law enforcement forces of India, male Sikh servicemen are allowed to wear full beards as their religion expressly requires followers to do so. However, they are specifically required to "dress up their hair and beard properly". In December 2003, the Supreme Court of India ruled that Muslims in uniform can grow beards. 
  Non-Muslims and non-Sikhs serving in the Indian Army or the Indian Air Force are not permitted to wear beards. However, Army personnel on active duty are sometimes exempt from facial hair regulations for the duration of their tour of duty if their deployment makes access to such facilities difficult. Indian Navy personnel are allowed to grow beards subject to the permission of their commanding officer. Exceptions for other religions are made in the case of special forces operatives like the Indian Air Force Pilots, Indian army's Para (Special Forces) soldiers and the navy's MARCOS commandos who are allowed to grow beards. Non-Sikh personnel are allowed to grow whiskers and moustaches, with the only regulation being that "will be of moderate length".
caption: Out of respect to their religion, Sikhs are allowed to grow beards in the Indian army.
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