Supreme Court informed of criminal cases against 326 Indian MPs

An affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court of India has revealed significant levels of criminalisation within the country's political leadership. According to data filed by amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria, 251 out of 543 members of the Lok Sabha and 75 out of 233 members of the Rajya Sabha are facing criminal cases.

Of the Lok Sabha members, 170 cases are classified as serious, involving offenses punishable by five years or more of imprisonment. The report indicates that there are currently 4,192 pending criminal cases against current and former Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs).

The affidavit further highlights that chief ministers in 14 of India's 28 states have declared criminal cases against themselves. Telangana Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy is noted to have 89 cases, followed by West Bengal's Suvendu Adhikari with 29, and Karnataka's D K Shivakumar with 19.

Despite judicial monitoring intended to expedite trials, the number of pending cases against lawmakers has remained largely stagnant since 2018. In 2025, 1,243 criminal cases were decided, while 1,050 new cases were registered.