A Kerala the court made an order to Quilon district jail to prevent a prisoner’s hair from being cut after the prisoner filed a petition to circumvent the mandatory condition in prison, News18 reported citing Kaumudi Online on Thursday.

According to the report, the accused, who was in jail in a sexual assault case, did not want to get a haircut because he wanted to qualify for a role in a Tamil film.

RS Jyothi, 38, who worked in Tamil films, was remanded in custody 13 days ago and placed in police custody. He reportedly let his hair grow for a movie role. However, he was arrested by the Kollam railway police based on a complaint from a woman alleging sexual assault during a train journey, News18 reported.

During police custody, Kollam jail authorities asked him to cut his hair due to mandatory protocol for prisoners. He did his best to prevent his haircut, but the prison authorities were adamant.

He later took help from his wife to opt for a legal battle to save his hair. His wife hired a lawyer who filed a petition on his behalf in the Kerala High Court. The case of the accused was presented by advocates Venu J Pillai, Vysakh V Nair and S Sreejith.

What did the court say?

The petition against the prisoner’s haircut was heard by Kollam Chief Judicial Magistrate KV Naina. After hearing the petition, magistrate KV Naina accepted Jyothi’s request and issued an order directing the Kollam jail authorities not to cut her hair.

Announcing the order, the court held that the accused should not miss his opportunity to act and, therefore, should be allowed to keep his hair down to his neck. The prosecutor had cited the prison report to claim that it was mandatory for every prisoner to have their hair cut in prison.