Indian Jail Rules: Why Some Prisoners Sleep Under The Stars While Others Stay Locked In

Last Updated:September 04, 2025, 13:44 IST

As per the jail manual, these convicts can sleep outdoors from April 15 to October 15, but only if proper security is ensured and no additional cost is incurred by the prison

These convicts are also provided with mosquito nets, tables, stools, and lamps in their cells. (Representative/PTI)

In a revelation that might surprise many, some jails in the country offer a unique privilege to certain prisoners, deviating from the usual protocol where inmates are counted and locked in their barracks every evening. This special treatment allows select prisoners to sleep outside under the open sky, a stark contrast to the confinement experienced by others.

Freedom To Breathe Beyond The Barracks

This exception is in accordance with the Uttar Pradesh Jail Manual, which permits Superior-Class convicts to sleep outdoors between April 15 and October 15, provided there are adequate security arrangements and no extra costs incurred. This policy ensures that these prisoners can enjoy a night of rest under the stars, away from the stifling barracks.

Superior-Class convicts, who benefit from this special treatment, are also provided with mosquito nets, tables, stools, and lamps in their cells.

Special Class Convicts: Who They Are & Where They’re Jailed

These prisoners are known by different names across states. In Uttar Pradesh, they are called Special Class convicts; in Maharashtra, Category-One; and in Karnataka, Category-A prisoners.

To qualify as Category A, the inmate must have had no criminal background before imprisonment and should have been regarded as part of society’s first line of respectables—such as ministers, MPs, MLAs, bureaucrats, or social workers. Until their conviction, they were considered educated, law-abiding and civilized members of society.

Location :

Uttar Pradesh, India, India

First Published:

September 04, 2025, 13:44 IST

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