47% Ministers in India face criminal cases, finds report

About 47% of Ministers in India, including in the Union Cabinet and State Cabinets, have declared criminal cases against themselves, out of which 27% are of a serious nature, including murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women, a report by the non-profit Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has found.

The poll watchdog examined self-sworn affidavits of 643 Ministers from 27 State Assemblies, three Union Territories, and the Union Council of Ministers.

The analysis found that 302 Ministers have criminal cases against them. Out of these 302 lawmakers, 174 face serious criminal charges.

With regard to political parties, out of 336 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ministers, 136 have declared criminal cases against themselves, of which 88 Ministers are facing serious charges.

The Congress has 45 Ministers with criminal cases, including 18 charged with serious offences.

In the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), 27 out of 31 Ministers face criminal charges, while 14 face serious cases. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) too had 13 of its 40 Ministers facing charges in criminal cases, including eight with serious charges.

The party with the highest proportion of Ministers having criminal cases lodged against them is the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), with 22 of its 23 Ministers declaring criminal cases, and 13 of them booked for serious offences.

In the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), 11 of 16 Ministers face criminal cases, of which five are of a serious nature.

Nationally, 29 of the 72 Union Ministers have declared the presence of criminal cases lodged against them in their poll affidavits.

In 11 State Assemblies, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Puducherry, more than 60% Ministers had criminal cases lodged against them.

Ministers in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, and Uttarakhand reported no criminal cases against themselves.

The report assumes significance in the light of three Bills introduced by the Centre, which seek the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and Ministers arrested or detained for 30 consecutive days on serious criminal charges involving punishment of five years or more.