Committee Constituted On Rajasthan High Court's Direction Recommends Increase In Wages Being Paid To Prisoners

The Additional Advocate General submitted before the Bench of Justice Rameshwar Vyas and Justice Sangeet Lodha that pursuant to the directions issued by the Court vide order dated 3.9.2020, the above said recommendation was made.

It may be noted that on 3^rd September, the Rajasthan High Court had declared that non revision of the wages payable to the prisoners for last five years is ex facie violative of the provisions of Rule 31 of the Rajasthan Prison Rules, 1951 and amounts to defiance of directions issued by the Supreme Court.

The Division Bench comprising of Justice Rameshwar Vyas and Justice Sangeeta Lodha had directed the State Government to revise the wages payable to the prisoners in accordance with the Supreme Court's decision in State of Gujarat & Anr. vs. Hon'ble High Court of Gujarat [AIR 1998 SC 3164] and Rule 31 of 1951 Rules.

[NOTE: In this matter, the Apex Court had stated that "while considering the quantum of wages payable to the prisonersm we are persuaded to take into account the contemporary legislative exercises on wages".]

The Bench had also directed the State Government to constitute a committee for determining the quantum of equitable wages payable to the prisoners within a period of two weeks.

The Court had also instructed that the committee shall make its recommendation for the revision of wages payable to the prisoners for various work within a period of two months from the date of constitution of the committee by the State Government.

On 4^th January, keeping in view the observations made by the Court, the counsel sought two weeks' time to file compliance report. The matter has been listed for further hearing on 18^th January 2021.

Case title - Indrajeet Singh v. State Of Rajasthan [D.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 19001/2018]

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