40% MPs Face Criminal Charges Of Which 25% Are Serious In Nature: ADR Report

A report released on Tuesday by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) disclosed that among the 763 Members of Parliament (MPs) examined, at least 306 of them have criminal cases registered against them. Additionally, the report revealed that 194 sitting MPs have declared serious criminal cases on their self-sworn affidavits. The ADR conducted this analysis by studying the affidavits submitted by these MPs before participating in their last elections and any subsequent bye-elections. These findings pertain to a total of 776 seats in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha across the nation.

The report said, “Out of the 763 sitting MPs, 306 MPs have been declared to have criminal cases running against them. While 194 sitting MPs have declared serious cases such as attempt to murder, murder, crimes against women, etc”

The report also emphasized certain specific findings. For instance, it noted that in Lakshadweep, all the MPs (100 percent) had declared criminal cases against themselves on their self-sworn affidavits. In Kerala, 23 out of 29 MPs (79 percent) had similar declarations, while in Bihar, 41 out of 56 MPs (73 percent) had criminal cases registered against them. Maharashtra had 37 out of 65 MPs (57 percent) with such declarations, Telangana had 13 out of 24 MPs (54 percent), and Delhi had 5 out of 10 MPs (50 percent) with criminal cases disclosed on their affidavits.

Additionally, the report highlighted the state with the highest percentage of sitting MPs with serious criminal cases. In Lakshadweep, all the MPs (100 percent) had serious criminal cases declared on their affidavits. In Bihar, 28 out of 56 MPs (50 percent) had serious criminal cases, while in Telangana, 9 out of 24 MPs (38 percent) had such declarations. Kerala had 10 out of 29 MPs (34 percent) with serious criminal cases, Maharashtra had 22 out of 65 MPs (34 percent), and Uttar Pradesh had 37 out of 108 MPs (34 percent) who declared serious criminal cases on their self-sworn affidavits.

Furthermore, the report pointed out that the BJP had the highest number of MPs with criminal cases against them.

The report also provided detailed statistics regarding serious criminal cases among different political parties. It revealed that 98 out of 385 MPs from the BJP (constituting 25 percent of their MPs) had declared serious criminal cases on their affidavits. In the Congress party, 26 out of 81 MPs (32 percent) had similar declarations. The AITC had 7 out of 36 MPs (19 percent) with serious criminal cases, while the RJD had 3 out of 6 MPs (50 percent). Among CPI(M) MPs, 2 out of 8 (25 percent) had such declarations, and 1 out of 11 MPs (9 percent) from AAP did as well. The YSRCP had 11 out of 31 MPs (35 percent) with serious criminal cases, and the NCP had 2 out of 8 MPs (25 percent) who declared serious criminal cases on their affidavits.

Moreover, the report highlighted specific criminal charges, revealing that 11 sitting MPs had cases related to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-302), 32 sitting MPs had cases of attempted murder (IPC Section-307), and 21 sitting MPs had cases related to crimes against women. Among these 21 MPs, 4 of them had declared cases related to rape (IPC Section-376) on their affidavits.

June 2022 Report: 31% of Rajya Sabha MPs face criminal cases

About 31% of current Rajya Sabha MPs have self-declared criminal cases, with an average asset value of Rs 79.54 crore, as per a report by ADR-National Election Watch, 2022.

The report also highlights that two MPs have murder-related cases (IPC Section 302), and four MPs have cases related to attempted murder (IPC Section 307). Additionally, four MPs have declared cases related to crimes against women, including one instance of rape (IPC Section 376) involving K C Venugopal (Congress) from Rajasthan.

According to the report, here are the percentages of Rajya Sabha MPs from various parties who have declared criminal cases against themselves:

BJP: 24% (20 out of 85 MPs), Congress: 39% (12 out of 31 MPs), AITC: 23% (3 out of 13 MPs), RJD: 83% (5 out of 6 MPs), CPI(M): 80% (4 out of 5 MPs), AAP: 30% (3 out of 10 MPs), YSRCP: 33% (3 out of 9 MPs), NCP: 50% (2 out of 4 MPs)

Furthermore, the report mentions the percentages of Rajya Sabha MPs from these parties who have declared serious criminal cases:

BJP: 11% (9 out of 85 MPs), Congress: 26% (8 out of 31 MPs), AITC: 8% (1 out of 13 MPs), RJD: 50% (3 out of 6 MPs), CPI(M): 40% (2 out of 5 MPs), AAP: 10% (1 out of 10 MPs), YSRCP: 33% (3 out of 9 MPs), NCP: 25% (1 out of 4 MPs)