Nearly 50% of Lok Sabha MPs face criminal cases, over 4,000 pending against lawmakers: SC told

Key points

• Citing ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms) data, the affidavit said 251 of 543 Lok Sabha MPs have criminal cases, with…
• The affidavit, accessed by TNIE, filed in the apex court by senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, said that there are over…
• State-wise, 95% of Kerala MPs face charges, followed by 82% in Telangana and 76% in Odisha.
• The chief ministers of 14 out of 28 states have declared criminal cases, including serious ones.

NEW DELHI: As many as 251 of the 543 Lok Sabha MPs and 75 of the 233 Rajya Sabha members have declared criminal cases against them, according to data submitted by the amicus curiae in a report on the criminalisation of politics before the Supreme Court.

The affidavit, accessed by TNIE, filed in the apex court by senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, said that there are over 4,000 criminal cases against Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs).

Hansaria has been appointed as amicus curiae (Friend of the court to assist in the case) in a PIL filed by lawyer and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, seeking expeditious disposal of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs.

According to The affidavit filed before the Supreme Court has, the chief ministers of 14 out of 28 states have declared criminal cases, including serious ones.

What happened

According to the data submitted to the SC, Telangana CM Anumula Revanth Reddy faces the highest with 89 cases, followed by West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari with 29 cases, and Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar with 19 cases.

Senior advocate Hansaria assisting the court as amicus, informed the bench that 4,192 criminal cases are pending against current and former MPs/MLAs. While 1,050 new cases, were registered, in 2025 alone, 1,243 cases were decided.

Citing ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms) data, the affidavit said 251 of 543 Lok Sabha MPs have criminal cases, with 170 being serious. In the Rajya Sabha, 75 of 233 members have cases, with 40 serious offences

Hansaria is assisting the court in the PIL filed by Upadhyay for speedy disposal of cases against the lawmakers.

The details

State-wise, 95% of Kerala MPs face charges, followed by 82% in Telangana and 76% in Odisha. Haryana and Chhattisgarh have just one MP each with cases.

Hansaria sought directions for Special Courts for MPs/MLAs to conduct trials exclusively and for High Courts to monitor progress monthly to ensure disposal within one year of framing of charges.