An affidavit filed in the Supreme Court has revealed that 251 of the 543 Lok Sabha members and 75 of the 233 Rajya Sabha members have declared criminal cases against them, with more than 4,000 cases involving current and former lawmakers still pending.
The affidavit, filed by senior advocate Vijay Hansaria as amicus curiae in a PIL seeking speedy disposal of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, said the number of pending cases has remained almost unchanged since 2018 despite monitoring by the Supreme Court and various high courts.
According to the affidavit, 170 of the 251 Lok Sabha MPs facing criminal cases have declared serious cases, defined as offences punishable with imprisonment of five years or more. In the Rajya Sabha, 40 of the 75 MPs facing criminal cases have declared serious cases.
The affidavit cited data from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), stating: “In the Lok Sabha, out of 543 members, 251 members have criminal cases against them, of which 170 cases are serious criminal cases (punishable with five years of imprisonment or more).” It added that in the Rajya Sabha, 75 of the 233 members have criminal cases, of which 40 are serious cases.
4,192 CASES PENDING AGAINST LAWMAKERS
Hansaria told the court that 1,243 criminal cases against current and former MPs and MLAs were decided in 2025, while 1,050 new cases were registered during the year. The total number of pending cases now stands at 4,192, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit also said chief ministers of 14 of India’s 28 states have declared criminal cases against themselves, including serious offences.
Telangana Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy has declared 89 criminal cases, followed by West Bengal’s Suvendu Adhikari with 29 and Karnataka’s D K Shivakumar with 19 cases.
KERALA, TELANGANA TOP STATES IN MP CRIMINAL CASES
Hansaria also submitted an analysis of reports filed by various high courts, except the Allahabad High Court, which had not submitted its report.
According to the analysis, 19 of Kerala’s 20 MPs, or 95 per cent, face criminal cases, including 11 who face serious cases. In Telangana, 14 of the 17 MPs, or 82 per cent, face criminal cases.
The corresponding figures are 76 per cent in Odisha, where 16 of 21 MPs face criminal cases; 71 per cent in Jharkhand, with 10 of 14 MPs; and 67 per cent in Tamil Nadu, with 26 of 39 MPs.
Around 50 per cent of MPs from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh face criminal cases, the affidavit said.
It further said one MP each from Haryana and Chhattisgarh faces criminal charges, out of 10 and 11 MPs respectively. Punjab has two such MPs out of 13, Assam three out of 14, Delhi three out of seven, Rajasthan four out of 25, Gujarat five out of 25 and Madhya Pradesh nine out of 29.
AMICUS SEEKS EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL COURTS
Hansaria urged the Supreme Court to direct that courts designated as Special Courts for MP/MLA cases should exclusively hear cases against lawmakers and take up other matters only after these trials are concluded.
He said Principal District and Sessions Judges in all districts should allocate regular court work to such special courts only after the trials involving MPs and MLAs are completed.
He also sought directions to high courts to monitor the progress of such trials on a monthly basis and ensure that pending cases are concluded expeditiously, preferably within one year of the framing of charges.
Hansaria further sought micro-monitoring of cases pending for more than three years and effective orders in each such matter.
SC HAD ORDERED FASTER TRIALS IN 2023
Hansaria is assisting the Supreme Court in a PIL filed by BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay seeking speedy disposal of criminal cases against lawmakers.
On November 9, 2023, the Supreme Court directed high courts to constitute special benches to monitor more than 5,000 criminal cases against MPs and MLAs. It also directed special courts not to adjourn proceedings except in rare and compelling circumstances and said cases against MPs, MLAs and MLCs should be given priority.
The latest affidavit, however, said a large number of such cases continue to remain pending despite the directions issued by the apex court.
– Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 17, 2026 23:52 IST
