More than a third of the newly elected MLAs have criminal cases against them. Of the six hundred and seventy-eight MLAs from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana, two hundred and thirty-nine have criminal cases against them. Of these, one hundred and thirty-six MLAs have serious criminal cases such as murder, rape, dacoity, kidnapping and incitement to communal violence.
The latest data, compiled by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) from the affidavits filed by the candidates, reveals an increase in the number of MLAs with criminal cases – many of them of a serious nature – from the previous election.
On 25th September this year, the Supreme Court had recommended that the Parliament must make it mandatory for parties to revoke the membership of persons against whom charges are framed in heinous offences and not to put them up in elections. But the background of the newly elected legislators shows that the Supreme Court’s orders haven’t influenced the choice of candidates.
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