Rs 540/day, mutton, chicken twice a month & more: All about Prajwal Revanna's life in Bengaluru jail

Until April 2024, Prajwal Revanna drew a basic monthly salary of Rs 1.2 lakh as a Member of Parliament. Now, as convict number 15528 at the Bengaluru Central Prison, his daily earnings may not exceed Rs 540, the standard wage for inmates working eight-hour shifts, six days a week, reported TOI.

Revanna, sentenced to life imprisonment, was shifted to the convict barrack on Friday. According to jail officials, he is yet to be assigned work but will be given time till Monday to choose from available tasks.

“All convicts, unless medically exempted, are expected to work,” TOI quoted a senior prison official as saying. “New inmates usually begin with unskilled labour such as helping in the bakery or doing basic tailoring. After a year, they may be moved to skilled roles like weaving or smithy work.” The official added that wages are fixed regardless of the nature of work.


Life in Barracks
Convicts follow a strict daily routine starting at 6:30 am. Breakfast follows shortly after, with a fixed weekly menu: veg pulao on Sundays, tomato bhath on Mondays, chitranna on Tuesdays, poha on Wednesdays, puliyogare on Thursdays, upma on Fridays, and vangibhath on Saturdays.

Lunch is served between 11:30 am and noon. Dinner is served before 6:30 pm. Both meals include chapatis, ragi balls, sambar, white rice, and buttermilk.

As per prison diet norms, inmates receive an egg on Tuesdays, mutton on the first and third Fridays of the month, and chicken on the second and fourth Saturdays.

Revanna will also be permitted two phone calls per week, each lasting a maximum of 10 minutes, and one in-person meeting with family or friends weekly.

Pending dues for prison labour
While Revanna awaits work allocation, a larger issue continues to affect the state’s prison workforce. More than 1,500 inmates engaged in prison labour across Karnataka have not received wages for over a year.

“Around Rs 3 crore in wages is pending across prisons,” a senior prison department official said. Karnataka has around 14,500 inmates spread across eight central prisons and several district jails. However, only about 15% of them are eligible to work under existing rules.

“The government has assured that the dues will be cleared soon,” TOI quoted the official as saying.

(With inputs from TOI)