40% of Chief Ministers Face Criminal Cases: ADR Report
New Delhi, Aug 22 — At least 12 of India’s 30 serving chief ministers (40%) have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to a new analysis by poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The report shows that Telangana CM Revanth Reddy tops the list with 89 declared cases, followed by Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin (47 cases). Other CMs with multiple cases include Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu (19 cases), Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah (13 cases), and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren (5 cases).
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu declared four cases each, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan declared two, while Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann declared one case.
The ADR further highlighted that 10 chief ministers (33%) face serious criminal charges, including attempt to murder, kidnapping, bribery, and criminal intimidation.
The findings come at a time when the Centre has proposed three new bills that seek to disqualify the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and other ministers arrested for more than 30 days on serious criminal charges.
The ADR said it based its findings on self-sworn affidavits filed by all sitting chief ministers prior to contesting their most recent Assembly elections.
