16 Jul. 24: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has provided relief to G. Abdul Khadar Ibrahim, a Muslim Grade I Police Constable, by quashing a disciplinary action taken against him for sporting a beard, reports The Hindu.
Ibrahim had applied for earned leave from November 9, 2018, to December 9, 2018, to undertake a pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah. This leave was sanctioned by the Director General of Police. Upon his return on December 10, 2018, Ibrahim requested an extension of leave due to a leg infection, presenting a medical certificate as proof. However, his request was denied, and he was questioned about his appearance for maintaining a beard.
A year later, a charge memo was issued, and the inquiry officer found the charges against him substantiated. Initially, the punishment imposed was the stoppage of his increment for three years with cumulative effect, later modified to two years without cumulative effect. Ibrahim challenged this order in court.
Justice L. Victoria Gowri referenced the Madras Police Gazette of 1957, highlighting that Muslims are permitted to maintain trimmed and tidy beards while on duty. She emphasized that India’s diversity in beliefs and cultures should be respected and that maintaining a beard, as per the religious commandment of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, should not be grounds for disciplinary action.
The court found the modified punishment disproportionately severe and quashed the order, directing the Madurai Commissioner of Police to issue a new order within eight weeks.
