326 MPs, 14 CMs have criminal cases, SC told

A status report submitted to the Supreme Court has revealed that 326 sitting MPs and 14 chief ministers have criminal cases pending against them. The affidavit, filed by amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria, said 251 of 543 Lok Sabha members and 75 of 233 Rajya Sabha members face charges, with 4,192 cases pending against current and former lawmakers. The data, sourced from the Association for Democratic Reforms, shows Telangana CM Revanth Reddy has the most cases (89), followed by West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari (29) and Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar (19).

Kerala leads state-wise with 19 of its 20 MPs facing criminal cases. Telangana has 14 of 17 MPs charged, Odisha 16 of 21, Jharkhand 10 of 14, and Tamil Nadu 26 of 39. About half of MPs from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh also face cases. The report noted that despite Supreme Court monitoring since 2018, pendency has remained largely unchanged. In 2025, 1,243 cases were disposed of while 1,050 new ones were registered.

Hansaria has urged the court to direct that special courts for MPs and MLAs exclusively handle lawmaker trials until completion, and that high courts monitor progress monthly, aiming to conclude cases within one year of framing charges. The court had earlier, in November 2023, ordered priority disposal of such cases and banned adjournments except for rare reasons.