What does Punjab’s jail manual say about food for inmates?

The daily routine of the jail is governed by sunrise and sunset as per the manual. “The jail authorities cannot serve food to inmates after the sunset, except in cases where the prisoner may have got special exemption due to health issues. The inmates are allowed to keep their food in their utensils. They can take the food at a time of their choice, even after the sunset. They are given three meals–an early morning meal, a midday meal and an evening meal,” a senior jail officer of the Model Burail Jail, Chandigarh, told The Indian Express.

What do the three meals contain?

Section 811 of Chapter 32 of the Punjab jail manual, which was written in 1960, describes the nature of the three meals. The early morning meal comprises “half a loaf of bread, half a slice of butter and a bowl of daal”. The midday meal is made of “parched and boiled grain’’ and the evening meal consists of the “remainder of the bread and oil with a bowl of vegetables”. The early morning and midday meals may be interchanged at the discretion of the medical officer.

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.

What is the protocol for a medical officer to prescribe a special diet?

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.

“It is the duty of the jail administration to provide the prescribed diet to an inmate if required. All the expenses are borne by the prisons department,” said Shashi Kant, former director-general of police (prisons).

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.