326 MPs, 14 CMs Face Criminal Cases: Are They Convicts? SC Told of 4,192-Case Backlog

As many as 326 sitting MPs and 14 chief ministers have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to a report submitted to the Supreme Court by senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, the amicus curiae in a PIL seeking speedy trials against lawmakers.

The 14 chief ministers named in the latest ADR analysis are Telangana’s A Revanth Reddy (89 cases), West Bengal’s Suvendu Adhikari (29), Karnataka’s D K Shivakumar (19), Andhra Pradesh’s N Chandrababu Naidu (19), Kerala’s V D Satheesan (18), Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren (5), Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis (4), Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (4), Tamil Nadu’s C Joseph Vijay (2), Bihar’s Samrat Choudhary (2), Sikkim’s P S Tamang (1), Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann (1), Odisha’s Mohan Charan Majhi (1) and Rajasthan’s Bhajan Lal Sharma (1).

The report said 251 of 543 Lok Sabha MPs have declared criminal cases, including 170 serious cases. In the Rajya Sabha, 75 of 233 members face cases, including 40 serious cases. The complete names of all 326 MPs were not provided in the affidavit details available for this report; therefore, a full MP-wise list cannot be reliably reproduced without the underlying ADR data.

The wider backlog stands at 4,192 cases involving current and former MPs/MLAs. Hansaria noted that 1,243 cases were decided in 2025, but 1,050 new cases were registered, leaving the overall pendency largely unchanged. Delays can arise from the volume of cases, investigation and charge-sheeting, framing of charges, evidence, witness examination, adjournments and appeals.

A criminal case does not mean a lawmaker is convicted. A person remains an accused unless guilt is established by a court. Pending cases, however, must be disclosed by candidates, and political parties are required to publish details and explain their selection. Under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, disqualification generally follows conviction for specified offences or conviction resulting in a sentence of at least two years; merely facing a pending case does not automatically disqualify a candidate.

Hansaria has proposed exclusive MP/MLA Special Courts, monthly High Court monitoring and completion of trials within one year of framing charges, while cases pending for more than three years should receive intensified judicial monitoring.