Kerala High Court Dismisses PIL Against Hike in Jail Inmates’ Wages

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the state government’s decision to increase the wages of jail inmates. The bench headed by the Chief Justice observed that the revision of prisoners’ wages was a policy decision of the government and found no sufficient grounds to interfere.

During the hearing, the government informed the court that the wage revision was not merely a financial matter but aimed at ensuring the dignity and rehabilitation of prisoners. The state also pointed out that the wages of jail inmates were being revised after a gap of seven years.

The government had issued an order on January 15 revising the wage structure. Under the new rates, prisoners engaged in skilled work will receive a daily wage of 620 rupees, those doing semi-skilled work 560 rupees, and unskilled workers 530 rupees. Earlier, the corresponding wages were 152 rupees, 127 rupees, and 63 rupees respectively.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier stated that paying fair wages to prisoners is a constitutional principle. He also noted that as per the Model Prison Manual, 2016, inmates’ wages are to be revised once every three years.