The Kerala High Court delivered a clear verdict Thursday, turning down a public interest petition against the state’s sharp rise in convicted prisoners’ labor wages. Justices Soumen Sen and V.M. Shyam Kumar validated the executive order from January 9, shifting daily rates from Rs 63-168 up to Rs 530-620, enabling potential monthly incomes of Rs 15,000 to 18,600.
Petitioner A.K. Gopi contended this represented an ‘unconstitutional economic flip,’ granting prisoners superior benefits over free laborers, who lack free lodging and board. Referencing Supreme Court wisdom from 1998’s State of Gujarat case, the PIL stressed jail labor’s rehabilitative intent over wage parity, cautioning against undue advantages.
It contrasted with Minimum Wages Act benchmarks: unskilled at Rs 15,000, semi-skilled Rs 15,720, skilled Rs 18,000 monthly without subsidies. Elected panchayat members’ allowances were cited as even lower. The court, however, found no merit, asserting governments can independently adjust inmate pay without syncing others. Those aggrieved have avenues to agitate.
Central to the ruling: wages support rehabilitation through meaningful work, not idleness. This approach aids prisoners’ smooth return to society, highlighting evolving judicial views on correctional labor as a tool for reform rather than mere punishment.