{"id":52252,"date":"2025-08-26T21:14:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T15:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=52252"},"modified":"2025-09-01T11:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T05:30:11","slug":"30-percent-mps-mlas-serious-criminal-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/26-08-2025\/30-percent-mps-mlas-serious-criminal-cases","title":{"rendered":"30% of MPs and MLAs Face Serious Criminal Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Polity and Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An analysis of MPs and MLAs across India shows that <strong>31% of Members of Parliament (MPs) and 29% of Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) <\/strong>have declared <strong>serious criminal charges <\/strong>against them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Criminalisation of politics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Criminalisation of politics<\/strong> refers to the growing participation of individuals with criminal backgrounds in electoral politics.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A serious criminal charge includes<\/strong> offences where the maximum punishment is five years or more, or those that are non-bailable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In the Lok Sabha,<\/strong> the share of MPs facing serious criminal cases has more than doubled, from <strong>14% in 2009 to 31% in 2024<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In the Assemblies,<\/strong> the share was <strong>29% in 2024<\/strong>, which accounts for more than <strong>1,200 MLAs.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Telangana<\/strong> had the <strong>highest share of MPs<\/strong> with serious criminal cases (71%), followed by <strong>Bihar (48%)<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Uttar Pradesh<\/strong> recorded the highest absolute number at 34.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Andhra Pradesh<\/strong> had the highest share of MLAs with serious criminal cases at <strong>56%<\/strong>, followed by <strong>Telangana (50%).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Uttar Pradesh <\/strong>recorded the highest absolute number (154 MLAs or 38% of its total).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c9c0bb\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"503\" height=\"555\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/new-mps-have-criminal-cases.png\" alt=\"new-mps-have-criminal-cases\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-52253\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c9c0bb; width:435px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/new-mps-have-criminal-cases.png 503w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/new-mps-have-criminal-cases-272x300.png 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 503px) 100vw, 503px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons of Criminalisation of politics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Weak Disqualification Laws:<\/strong> The Representation of the <strong>People Act, 1951 (RPA) <\/strong>disqualifies candidates only after conviction.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Since trials take years, tainted candidates contest multiple elections before any judgment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Money and Muscle Power:<\/strong> Criminals with financial resources and local influence are seen as \u201cwinnable\u201d candidates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low Voter Awareness: <\/strong>Affidavits disclose candidate details, but many voters remain unaware or vote on caste\/religious lines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Party Complicity:<\/strong> Parties often justify fielding tainted candidates by citing \u201cpopularity\u201d and \u201celectoral chances.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Judicial Delays:<\/strong> Frequent adjournments and politically motivated withdrawal of cases allow criminals to escape conviction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nexus Between Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Criminals:<\/strong> First highlighted by the Vohra Committee Report (1993), which warned of deep collusion between crime syndicates, politicians, and state machinery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impact of Criminalisation of Politics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Erosion of Democratic Values: <\/strong>It undermines the principle of free and fair elections and voters are left with restricted choices, weakening the spirit of representative democracy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Corruption: <\/strong>The presence of criminal elements escalates<strong> electoral malpractices<\/strong> such as voter <strong>intimidation, booth capturing, and the use of black money<\/strong> in campaigns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Decline of Public Trust: <\/strong>Repeated election of tainted representatives, lead to <strong>declining voter turnout<\/strong> and weakening people\u2019s faith in democratic institutions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Distortion of Policy-Making:<\/strong> Elected representatives use political power to protect personal and criminal networks and divert policy-making away from public interest and <strong>encourage clientelism.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Committee Recommendations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Law Commission&#8217;s 244th Report (2014)<\/strong> recommended disqualifying politicians from contesting elections as soon as charges are framed against them for offenses that carry a maximum punishment of<strong> five years or more.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The report specifically recommended <strong>expediting trials for sitting MPs and MLAs<\/strong> by establishing fast-track courts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution<\/strong> in its <strong>2002 <\/strong>report recommended measures to enhance the accountability of political parties, including the statutory audit of party expenses and the disclosure of candidates&#8217; assets and liabilities.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998) &amp; 2nd ARC (2007)<\/strong> recommended partial state funding of elections to curb the use of black money and reduce corruption.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Supreme Court Interventions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In Lily Thomas v. Union of India (2013), <\/strong>the Court ruled that any sitting MP, MLA, or MLC would be <strong>immediately disqualified <\/strong>upon conviction for a crime with a sentence of <strong>two years or more.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In<strong> Public Interest Foundation v. Union of India (2018),<\/strong> the Court directed political parties to publicize the criminal records of candidates, detailing the nature of offences and charges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In 2020, the Supreme Court of India<\/strong> ordered political parties to publish details of candidates with pending criminal cases on their websites, social media, and in newspapers, along with the reasons for their selection, <strong>within 48 hours <\/strong>of candidate selection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Implement Law Commission recommendations<\/strong>, disqualify candidates at charge-framing stage for heinous offences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fast-track courts<\/strong>, Ensure trial completion <strong>within 1 year<\/strong> for cases against legislators.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Political Party Accountability<\/strong>: Parties must be penalised for repeated selection of tainted candidates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>State Funding &amp; Transparency<\/strong>: Reduce money power by funding recognised parties and improving campaign finance disclosures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/145587\/OPS\/GRUEPHHQ6.1+G52EQKFRK.1.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">An analysis of MPs and MLAs across India shows that 31% of Members of Parliament (MPs) and 29% of Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) have declared serious criminal charges against them.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Criminalisation of politics<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Criminalisation of politics refers to the growing participation of individuals with criminal backgrounds in electoral politics.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">A serious criminal charge includes offences where the maximum punishment is five years or more, or those that are non-bailable.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In the Lok Sabha, the share of MPs facing serious criminal cases has more than doubled, from 14% in 2009 to 31% in 2024.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In the Assemblies, the share was 29% in 2024, which accounts for more than 1,200 MLAs.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/26-08-2025\/30-percent-mps-mlas-serious-criminal-cases\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":52268,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/30-percent-mps-mlas-serious-criminal-cases.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52252"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52282,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52252\/revisions\/52282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}