Jail Manual Punjab

[Paciente Flynn]

Prisonsare state subject and Prison's administration in the country is broadly being run on Prisons Act 1894. Different states have made their jail manuals based on Prisons Act 1894. Prison's Department UT, Chandigarh has adopted punjab jail manual 1996 to run its Prison's Administration. To bring uniformity in the prisons administration BPR&D has formulated Model Prison's Manual 2016, on the direction of Apex Court, which is to be adopted by all the states and UTs with or without ammendments. The proposal to adopt Model Prison Manual 2016 is under process as regards to the Chandigarh Prison's Department. In addition to this, Following Acts & Rules are applicable in total or partly :-

A special dietary chart of seven meals a day prescribed for senior Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment on May 18 for a decades-old road rage death, has spotlighted the diet provided in various prisons in Punjab.

A Punjab jail officer said there are no terms such as breakfast, lunch or dinner in the manual. Though the timings for serving the meals depend on sunrise and sunset, the nature of food has changed over the years. Vegetarian prisoners are given tea, channa/bread and butter in the early morning meal. Non-vegetarians are given eggs instead of bread/channa. Inmates get rice, chappati and daal in the midday meal around 10am. Rice, chappati and a vegetable dish is given in the evening meal. There is no difference between the midday and evening meals for vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

As per Section 814 of Chapter 32 of the manual, a medical officer can allow a special diet to an inmate considering his or her health condition. A medical board set up by the Rajindra Hospital in Patiala prescribed a seven-meal diet for Navjot Singh Sidhu including various juices and only one mixed-grain chappati a day.

A serving jail officer said the jail administration could also allow an inmate to cook his or her food. The inmate would then have to purchase raw material, including firewood and charcoal, from the jail canteen.

3a8082e126