New Delhi: Nearly 47% of Ministers in India, including those in the Union Cabinet and State Cabinets have declared criminal cases against them. According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) 27% of ministers are facing serious charges of murder, kidnapping and crimes against women.

The non-profit analysed self-sworn affidavits of 643 Ministers from 27 State Assemblies, three Union Territories and the Union Council of Ministers, according to a report by The Hindu. Of them, 302 Ministers reported criminal cases, including 174 with serious charges.

Among political parties, the BJP has 336 Ministers, 136 of whom face criminal cases, including 88 with serious allegations. The Congress has 45 Ministers with criminal cases, 18 of them serious. In the DMK, 27 of 31 Ministers face criminal charges, while 14 are serious. The TMC has 13 of 40 Ministers with criminal records, eight of them serious.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) recorded the highest proportion, with 22 of its 23 Ministers facing criminal cases, including 13 with serious charges. In AAP, 11 of 16 Ministers have cases, with five serious.

Nationally, 29 of the 72 Union Ministers declared criminal cases. More than 60% of Ministers in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Puducherry face criminal charges, while Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, and Uttarakhand reported none.

The findings follows the Centre’s decision to introduced three Bills seeking to remove Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers and Ministers arrested or detained for 30 consecutive days on serious criminal charges carrying punishment of five years or more.