Once drawing a monthly salary of ₹1.2 lakh as a Member of Parliament, Prajwal Revanna now finds himself in starkly different circumstances, earning a potential ₹540 per month as a life convict in Bengaluru Central Prison.
Revanna, who was disqualified as MP from Hassan in April 2024 following his conviction in a high-profile rape case, is now registered as prisoner number 15528, Times of India reported.
According to the publication, he has not yet been assigned a prison job but, according to jail officials, will be eligible to begin work from the following Monday. All convicts are expected to work six days a week, for eight-hour shifts, unless exempted for health reasons.
(Also Read: ‘None of the women came forward voluntarily’: What Prajwal Revanna told in court before conviction?)
“New convicts typically start with basic unskilled labor, like assisting in the bakery or stitching clothes,” a senior prison official told The Times of India.
{{/usCountry}}“New convicts typically start with basic unskilled labor, like assisting in the bakery or stitching clothes,” a senior prison official told The Times of India.
{{/usCountry}}Every Monday, the prison authorities assign duties to new inmates. Regardless of the nature of the work, the monthly remuneration remains ₹540.
Under prison rules, Revanna is also entitled to two 10-minute phone calls each week and one in-person visitation by family or friends.
Life behind bars
Daily life in Bengaluru Central Prison starts at 6.30 am for convicts. Following morning routines, breakfast is served based on a rotating weekly men.
Lunch is served between 11.30 am and noon, with dinner following in the evening. Meals consist of chapatis, ragi balls, white rice, sambar, and buttermilk. Non-vegetarian food is limited: convicts receive an egg on Tuesdays, mutton on the first and third Friday of every month, and chicken on the second and fourth Saturday, the report added.
All inmates are expected to return to their barracks by 6.30 pm.
While Revanna is yet to begin his jail job, the larger prison system is dealing with a financial bottleneck. According to prison officials quoted by TOI, over 1,500 convicts across Karnataka have been working without pay for more than a year. The total unpaid wages have now crossed ₹3 crore, TOI report added.
(Also Read: Prajwal Revanna convicted: A look back at the high-profile rape case that shook Karnataka)