From behind bars for the Bar: Furniture by convicts for Nagpur court

Nearly 100 convicts, including some who are serving life terms, were roped in for the project after the Maharashtra Prisons Department was awarded a Rs 5.5-crore contract in 2021 to manufacture teak furniture for the new court building. The contract involved manufacturing 21 categories of furniture, such as the chairs used by presiding judges during hearings, the chairs used in their chambers, the witness boxes where testimonies are recorded, the dock where the accused stand during the trial, the bar (railing) which divides a courtroom into two, and tables and chairs for lawyers and litigants.

Stating that delivery of the furniture started a few months before the building’s March 19 inauguration, an official said while wooden furniture made by convicts is in high demand in government offices, this is the first time that they executed such a huge order.

One of the chairs made by inmates of Nagpur Central Jail. (Image source: Maharashtra Prisons Department)

Nagpur Central Jail Deputy Superintendent Deepa Agey said, “Furniture designs made by instructors and convicts were submitted to the court authorities. Changes were made based on feedback and manufacturing began after the final designs were approved.” She added that senior prison officials, including Additional Director General (Prisons) Amitabh Gupta, helped them complete the contract timely.

Inmates who work in the carpentry units of the four jails were categorised as skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled according to their level of expertise with woodwork. Based on inputs provided by the architect and planners of the new court building, an instructor taught 15 skilled convicts how to make the furniture. These skilled workers were assisted by 15 semi-skilled inmates, while eight-nine unskilled convicts polished the furniture. An instructor said work on the order started in November 2022.

Nagpur Central Jail Superintendent Anup Kumre said convicts usually work from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm at the prison’s carpentry unit but they worked till 9.30 pm on some days given the size of the order and the deadline. According to the Maharashtra Prison Manual, a convict sentenced to more than two years of rigorous imprisonment is allowed to work in jail units, while others, including undertrials, can volunteer. An instructor with the carpentry unit said the point of making convicts work is to ensure that they do something constructive while serving their sentence.

“To keep convicts engaged, we encourage those with experience in these units to teach newcomers. They all work together, learn the skills taught to them by the instructors and become good at these jobs. These skills come in handy when they seek employment once they’re out of jail,” the instructor said.

He said the price of furniture made by convicts is usually higher than the rates in the market since the quality of teak, which is procured directly by the government from state forests, is excellent. Furniture made by convicts is sold in retail shops outside Yerawada Central Jail, Thane Central Jail and Nagpur jail. These shops also sell other products made by inmates, such as bakery items and clothes.

As per state prison rules, a skilled worker is paid Rs 67 per day. Prisoners have the option of using these wages in jail canteens or collecting the money after their sentence ends. For overtime hours, Kumre said, the convicts will benefit through remission and other schemes.

Maharashtra ranks low according to the national average wage paid in jails across the country. As per the Prison Statistics of India 2021, average wages of Rs 111.17, Rs 95.03 and Rs 87.63 are paid per day to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled prisoners respectively. Skilled inmates in Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu jails reportedly receive Rs 308, Rs 225 and Rs 200 per day respectively.

Citing lack of equality in wages paid to prisoners across states, the Justice Radhakrishnan Committee on Prison Reforms had in 2018 suggested a review of wages in Maharashtra. The five-member committee was formed in 2015 by the state government following directions by the Bombay High Court which, while hearing a PIL, had sought steps to resolve issues faced by prisoners and the prison department. The recommendations are yet to be tabled and accepted by the state government.

The report had stated, “Presently, prisoners get a third of the government declared wages as per the skill of work. It is recommended that prison wages be reviewed every three years and be increased with inflation.”