Startling Revelations: 14 Indian Chief Ministers Face Serious Criminal Charges, Supreme Court Informed
NEW DELHI – In a decade-long pursuit to expedite trials against sitting and former Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs), a startling report submitted to the Supreme Court of India reveals that 14 of the 28 Chief Ministers across India are currently facing serious criminal cases. This alarming data, presented by amicus curiae and senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, underscores a pervasive issue of criminalization within Indian politics.
The detailed 96-page report highlights that Telangana’s Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy, tops the list with a staggering 89 criminal cases. Following closely behind are West Bengal’s Suvendu Adhikari with 29 cases, Karnataka CM D. Shivakumar and Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu each with 19 cases, and Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan with 18 cases.
Other prominent Chief Ministers named in the report include Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren (5 cases), Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis (4 cases), Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Singh (4 cases), Tamil Nadu’s C. Joseph Vijay (2 cases), and Bihar’s Samrat Choudhary (2 cases). Additionally, one case each is pending against the Chief Ministers of Sikkim (P.S. Tamang), Punjab (Bhagwant Mann), Odisha (Mohan Charan Majhi), and Rajasthan (Bhajan Lal Sharma).
Beyond the executive heads of states, the report casts a wide net over the legislative landscape, exposing a significant presence of criminality among elected representatives. West Bengal leads the states with the highest percentage of MLAs facing serious criminal charges, with 170 out of 292 (58%) falling into this category. This is followed by Kerala (57%), Andhra Pradesh (56%), Telangana (49%), Jharkhand and Odisha (45% each), and Bihar (42%). Maharashtra also sees a substantial figure at 40%.
The problem extends to the national Parliament as well. The report indicates that 170 out of 543 Lok Sabha MPs (31% of the total strength) have serious criminal cases pending against them. State-wise, Telangana has 11 of its 17 MPs facing serious criminal cases, Kerala has 11 out of 21, Bihar 19 out of 40, Uttar Pradesh 34 out of 80, Maharashtra 17 out of 48, West Bengal 16 out of 42, and Andhra Pradesh 9 out of 25.
In the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s Parliament, 75 out of 233 members (33%) have criminal cases against them. Among these, 40 members (18%) are implicated in "serious criminal cases," defined as those punishable with five years of imprisonment or more, as detailed in the amicus report filed through advocate Sneha Kalita.
As of July 2026, a staggering 4,192 criminal cases are pending trial against sitting and former MPs and MLAs. Uttar Pradesh accounts for the largest share of these cases, with 1,171 pending trials.
In light of these concerning statistics, the amicus curiae has urged the Supreme Court to take decisive action. Hansaria has requested the court to designate special courts dedicated exclusively to conducting trials in cases against sitting and former legislators. Furthermore, he has asked for directives to jurisdictional High Courts to actively monitor the progress of these trials, aiming to ensure timely and effective justice.
This comprehensive report underscores the urgent need for judicial and legislative reforms to address the deeply entrenched issue of criminalization in Indian politics, which continues to undermine public trust and the democratic process.
