A US court docket dominated that Marine Corps can not deny entry to Sikhs sporting a beard and sporting a turban. This marks a significant victory for 3 recruits from the Sikh neighborhood who can now be a part of the unit’s primary coaching.

The trio of recruits – Aekash Singh, Jaskirat Singh, and Milaap Singh Chahal – had sought an exemption from the Marines rule which required them to shave their beards. The males had argued that the beards and turbans have been an expression of their dedication to their non secular religion however the Marine Corps had instructed the three Sikh males that they may serve provided that they shaved earlier than the essential coaching.

The males appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in September after a lower-court choose denied their request. The Marines claimed that sporting beards will influence “troop uniformity” and look, in the end threatening nationwide safety.

Read extra: Californian city gets its first Sikh mayor: 7 points on Mikey Hothi

“They are now suffering and will continue to suffer grave, immediate, and ongoing injuries to the exercise of their faith,” the three-judge bench of the US Court of Appeals dominated.

“A federal court has just ruled that Sikhs can maintain their religious beards while serving their country in the US Marine Corps. Now, three Sikh recruits, who had previously been denied religious accommodations, can enter basic training,” lawyer Eric Baxter, who represented the three males, mentioned.

“This is a major ruling for religious freedom—for years, the Marine Corps has barred Sikh recruits with religious beards from entry into basic training. Today’s ruling strikes down that rule as a “violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA),” he added saying, “No one should have to choose between serving God and country.”