Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted in the 1993 blasts case and is presently lodged at Yerawada jail, will spend the 42 months of his sentence making paper files and doing paper-binding work.
The jail authorities have decided to assign Dutt the task of making paper files because they do not want him to mingle with other inmates in the jail for security reasons. Dutt will undertake this task inside his cell in Maximum Security Enclosure 3.
The actor, who surrendered after the Supreme Court denied relief to him, was shifted from Arthur Road jail to Yerawada jail amidst secrecy on Wednesday.
The last time Dutt was in jail, he was assigned the work of making knitting yarn cane chairs, and one such chair made by him was auctioned after he was released on bail.
Speaking to dna, a senior state jail officer, on condition of anonymity, said, "The last time when Dutt was in Yerawada jail, he was given the task of making cane chairs. However, this time, he will not be given the same task. We are thinking of giving him another indoor job so that he does not mingle with the other inmates."
According to the procedure, counsellors analyse an inmate's strengths and weaknesses, apart from his or her skills, and accordingly assign work to him or her.
"The convicts are paid wages varying from Rs25 to Rs40 on the completion of the assigned job. Besides, they are also rewarded with a remission in punishment for good work and good conduct," the officer added.
Over the years, prisoners have been making themselves useful by creating furniture, candle stands and objects of daily use which they are trained to make. These products are then sold to government offices in the state.
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