Jailed actor's strange request approved: Here's what he asked for
In a rare case, a Kerala court has allowed a prisoner to keep his long hair, overriding the usual prison rule of compulsory haircuts. The decision was taken after RS Jyothi, a 38-year-old inmate and former Tamil film actor, moved a petition against the compulsory haircut rule. Jyothi is presently in judicial custody at Kollam district jail on charges of sexual assault.
Jyothi's legal battle to retain long hair
Jyothi, who was growing his hair for a possible Tamil film role, was arrested 13 days ago by Kollam Railway Police after a woman complained of sexual assault during a train journey. In custody, he told his wife during her visit that he wished to keep his long hair. They then fought a legal battle against the mandatory haircut rule with lawyers Venu J Pillai, Vysakh VNair, and S Sreejith.
Court ruled in favor of Jyothi's acting opportunity
The petition was heard by Kollam Chief Judicial Magistrate KV Naina, who ordered the jail authorities not to cut his hair. The court said the accused shouldn't miss his potential acting opportunity and must be allowed to keep his neck-long hair. This decision was taken despite the prosecutor citing the jail manual's rule that every prisoner must get a haircut in jail.
