New Delhi, Oct. 31 -- The Delhi high court has asked the Centre to explain the reasoning behind its guidelines that disqualify candidates with tattoos on their right forearm from recruitment into the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). A bench of justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla passed the order on Wednesday while dealing with a man's petition against the Centre's decision to disqualify him for the recruitment to the post of Motor Mechanic Vehicle due to a tattoo on his right forearm. The decision was based on the guideline issued by the Union home ministry that allows tattoos on the left forearm or hand depicting religious symbols or names but prohibits them on the right forearm, ostensibly to prevent Western cultural influence and maintain discipline. In his petition, the petitioner stated that if permitted to join the force, he was willing to undergo surgery to have the tattoo removed. "Prima facie we do not understand how the mere presence of a tattoo on the right forearm of a candidate can disqualify him for recruitment to the Forces. A reading of the aforesaid guidelines indicate that the respondents do not find anything amiss if the tattoo is on traditional sites of the body like the inner aspect of the forearm but are agreeable to the tattoo being only on the left forearm and not on the right forearm," the high court said. "This appears to be because the present young generation is considerably under the influence of western culture and engraving of skin art," the high court said in its order on Thursday. The matter will be next heard on November 17....