One-third of Rajya Sabha MPs face criminal cases; 31 are billionaires: ADR

Around 32 per cent of sitting members of the Rajya Sabha have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 14 per cent are billionaires, according to a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The report analyses affidavits of 229 out of 233 Rajya Sabha MPs. One seat from Jharkhand is currently vacant, while affidavits of three MPs were unavailable. The study includes 37 recently elected members.

Of the 229 MPs examined, 73 (32 per cent) have declared criminal cases, with 36 (16 per cent) facing serious charges. One MP has declared a case of murder, four have cases of attempt to murder, and three have disclosed cases related to crimes against women.

Party-wise analysis shows that 27 of 99 BJP MPs, 12 of 28 Congress MPs, four of 13 TMC MPs, and four of 10 AAP MPs have declared criminal cases. Three MPs each from CPI(M) and BRS have also disclosed pending cases.

The report further reveals that 31 MPs (14 per cent) have declared assets worth billions of rupees. Among major parties, six BJP MPs, five Congress MPs, four YSRCP MPs, two AAP MPs, two BRS MPs, and three NCP MPs have assets exceeding Rs 100 crore.

The average assets of a Rajya Sabha MP stand at Rs 120.69 crore. Among major parties, the average assets per MP are Rs 28.29 crore for BJP, Rs 128.61 crore for Congress, Rs 17.70 crore for TMC, and Rs 574.09 crore for AAP. Other parties include YSRCP (Rs 522.63 crore), SP (Rs 399.71 crore), BJD (Rs 105.63 crore), and DMK (Rs 11.90 crore).

Among individuals, BRS MP Bandi Partha Saradhi has declared the highest assets at over Rs 5,300 crore, followed by AAP’s Rajinder Gupta with over Rs 5,053 crore and YSRCP’s Alla Ayodhya Rami Reddy with over Rs 2,577 crore.

At the other end of the spectrum, AAP MP Sant Balbir Singh has declared assets worth about Rs 3 lakh, making him the least wealthy member. He is followed by Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba of Manipur with around Rs 5 lakh and TMC’s Prakash Chik Baraik with approximately Rs 9 lakh, the report added.