New Delhi: As many as 40 per cent of chief ministers in India have declared criminal cases against them, a report by the poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) jhas said.
According to the report, of the 30 CMs in the country, 12 have declared criminal cases against them.
The report was at a time when the government has tabled three bills seeking the removal of the Prime Minister, chief ministers, and ministers who are in custody for 30 days on serious criminal charges.
ADR says that 10 (33 per cent) chief ministers have declared serious criminal cases including cases related to attempt to murder, kidnapping, bribery, criminal intimidation.
Revanth Reddy of Telangana has declared 89 cases against him, making him the chief minister with the highest number of criminal cases. The Congress leader has 72 serious IPC charges, and 160 other IPC charges in these 89 criminal cases.
The charges include offences such as 34 counts of criminal intimidation, and one count each of undue influence on election and outrage of modesty of a woman, among others.
He is followed by M K Stalin of Tamil Nadu, who has 47 criminal cases against him. Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh has 19 cases and Siddaramaiah if Karnataka 13.
The other CMs with criminal cases are Hemant Soren, Jharkhand (5), Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra (4), Sukhvinder Singh, Himachal Pradesh (4), Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala (2), P S Tamang, Sikkim (1), Bhagwant Mann, Punjab (1), Mohan Charan Manjhi, Odisha (1) and Bhajan Lal Sharma, Rajasthan (1).
The ADR said it analysed the self-sworn affidavits of all 30 sitting chief ministers in state Assemblies and Union Territories.
This data is from affidavits they filed prior to contesting their last elections.