High-profile murder convict uses RTI for prisoners' rights

Convicted for planning the murder of a former journalist Shivani Bhatnagar, suspended IPS officer RK Sharma is now helping the prisoners lodged in Tihar jail secure their rights using the RTI.

According to prison officials Sharma has recently filed an RTI asking the prison information officer for data regarding wages, maintenance cost and payroll facility for prison inmates.

Sharma was the first to raise voice for making available telephone facility for inmates lodged in the prison, they said.

"In his RTI he has asked about the criteria followed by Tihar Prison for paying wages to the prisoners. He has also asked the names of the states whose prisoners' wage structure were studied before formulating the wage criteria here," a prison official said.

Tihar inmates who indulge in factory work are divided into three categories which include skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. In reply to an RTI query, he was informed that wages are paid based on their efficiency shown in factory work.

In his next query in the same RTI application Sharma has also asked about the maintenance cost of prisoners lodged in the prison. 

"This includes security and food expenditure amongst others which tunes down to a total of Rs 110 per day per head," he said.

Lastly Sharma also wanted to know the furlough power. "The 2010 guidelines for payroll is now being followed and he has asked for the file notings for the same," the official said.