The Supreme Court was told that more than 4,000 cases are pending against MPs and MLAs across the country, while 14 of the 28 chief ministers face serious criminal charges. The disclosure came in a report submitted on Monday to the apex court by senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, amicus curiae in a public-interest litigation (PIL) seeking the expeditious disposal of criminal cases against Indian lawmakers.
According to the report, 251 of the 543 Lok Sabha members and 75 of the 233 Rajya Sabha members face criminal cases. The PIL was filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.
The report revealed that around 4,192 cases are pending against sitting MPs and MLAs, of which 519 have been pending for more than a decade. Investigations have not yet begun in 700 cases, of which 360 have been stuck at this stage for more than three years without the chargesheet even being filed.
Which states have highest numbers?
The affidavit submitted to the apex court has revealed that 95% of the MPs from Kerala face charges, which is the highest in the country, as per a report by The New Indian Express.
Kerala is followed by Telangana with 82% of its MPs facing serious charges. Then comes Odisha with 76%.
Haryana and Chhattisgarh are the two states that have recorded the lowest tallies, with both having a single MP each facing charges.
When it comes to the percentage of MLAs facing serious cases, West Bengal leads at 58%, while Kerala is a close second at 57%. Next in line are Andhra Pradesh (56%), Telangana (49%) and Odisha (45%), The Times of India reported.
Which CMs have most charges against them?
The report reveals that Telangana CM Revanth Reddy has the highest number of charges against him, 89. Next in line is West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari. He has 29 pending cases against him.
Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu both have 19 cases each, while Kerala's V D Sathesan has 18 cases pending against him.
Following these revelations in court, the amicus has pleaded with the apex court to designate special courts to expeditiously hold trials in these cases against both sitting and former lawmakers. He has also asked the Supreme Court to direct the jurisdictional High Courts in these cases to actively monitor the progress of these trials.
