326 MPs, 14 CMs, over 4,000 cases: Report lays bare criminalisation of politics before SC

A report submitted in SC has flagged 4,192 criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, including cases involving 326 sitting MPs and 14 chief ministers.

NEW DELHI: A fresh status report submitted to the Supreme Court has highlighted criminal cases against elected representatives, with 326 sitting MPs and chief ministers of 14 states having declared cases against them.The report, filed by senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, the amicus curiae assisting the court in a PIL seeking speedy disposal of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, said 251 of the 543 Lok Sabha members and 75 of the 233 Rajya Sabha members have criminal cases pending against them.The figures are based on data from the Association for Democratic Reforms. Among Lok Sabha MPs facing cases, 170 have declared serious criminal cases carrying a possible sentence of five years or more. In the Rajya Sabha, 40 of the 75 MPs facing cases have serious charges.The report also puts the number of criminal cases pending against current and former MPs and MLAs at 4,192. Hansaria noted that despite the Supreme Court and high courts monitoring these matters for faster trials, the overall pendency has remained largely unchanged since 2018.Data compiled from various high courts showed that 1,243 cases were disposed of in 2025, while 1,050 new cases were registered during the same year.

The affidavit said 14 of the country’s 28 chief ministers have declared criminal cases, including serious offences.Telangana CM Revanth Reddy has the highest number among the chief ministers listed, with 89 cases, followed by West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari with 29 and Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar with 19.

The state-wise analysis showed particularly high proportions of MPs with declared criminal cases in several states.Kerala topped the list, with 19 of its 20 MPs facing criminal charges, including 11 with serious cases. Telangana followed, with 14 of 17 MPs facing criminal charges.In Odisha, 16 of 21 MPs, or 76%, have criminal cases, while Jharkhand has 10 of its 14 MPs facing charges. Tamil Nadu recorded 26 of its 39 MPs with criminal cases.Around half of the MPs from several other major states, including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, have criminal cases.The numbers were significantly lower in some states. Haryana and Chhattisgarh had one MP each facing criminal charges, while Punjab had two of 13. Assam had three of 14 MPs, Delhi three of seven, Rajasthan four of 25, Gujarat five of 25 and Madhya Pradesh nine of 29.

The analysis did not include Uttar Pradesh because the Allahabad High Court had not submitted its report.

Hansaria has urged SC to strengthen the mechanism for monitoring criminal cases involving lawmakers and ensure that they are concluded within a fixed timeframe.He has proposed that courts designated as special courts for MPs and MLAs should exclusively hear trials involving lawmakers until those matters are completed, instead of being assigned other regular judicial work.Hansaria is assisting the court in a PIL filed by BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay seeking expeditious disposal of criminal cases against lawmakers.SC had, in a November 9, 2023 judgment, issued directions aimed at accelerating the disposal of thousands of criminal cases involving MPs and MLAs. It had asked high courts to constitute special benches to monitor the progress of such cases and directed special courts to avoid adjournments except for “rare and compelling reasons”.The court had also directed that criminal cases against members of Parliament, legislative assemblies and legislative councils be given priority.