At 88% each, the number was the highest in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms.
At least 302, or 47% of the total 652 ministers in the Union and state Cabinets, have been charged in criminal cases, according to a report by the non-governmental organisation Association for Democratic Reforms.
Released on Thursday, the report is based on an analysis of the self-sworn affidavits of 643 ministers in 27 state Assemblies, three Union Territories and the Union council of ministers.
It stated that of the total, 174, or 27% of the ministers, are facing serious criminal cases.
The poll watchdog classified serious criminal offences as those that have a maximum punishment of five years or more, are non-bailable, or related to loss to exchequer. Serious offences also include assault, murder, kidnap, rape related, or those mentioned in the Representation of the People Act. They also include offences under Prevention of Corruption Act and crimes against women.
A total of 29 Union ministers, or 40% of them, have declared criminal cases and 19, or 26%, were charged for serious crimes.
In 11 state Assemblies – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Puducherry – more than 60% of ministers have declared criminal cases.
Andhra Pradesh and Odisha had the highest percentage of ministers facing criminal cases – each at 88% – while Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland and Uttarakhand had none.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has 336 ministers, out of which 136, or 40%, have declared criminal cases, including 88, or 26%, with serious charges. Fourty-five, or 74% of the Congress’ 61 ministers, have criminal cases against them, out of which, 18, or 30%, were charged for serious crimes.
According to the report, 22 out of the 23 ministers of the Telugu Desam Party have declared criminal cases, including 13 facing serious charges.
Apna Dal (Soneylal) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) have two ministers each, and all of them face criminal charges.
Similarly, Congress (Secular), Kerala Congress (M), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and Vikassheel Insaan Party have one minister each, and all have declared criminal cases.
In the Aam Aadmi Party, 11 of 16 ministers face criminal charges, five of which are serious.
Twenty-seven out of 31 ministers from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam face criminal charges, and 14 of them are for serious offences.
Thirteen out of 40 ministers from the Trinamool Congress have criminal cases, including eight with serious charges.
The report comes against the backdrop of the Union Government introducing three bills that propose the automatic removal of the prime minister, chief ministers and ministers who are “arrested and detained in custody on account of serious criminal charges”.
The bills allow for the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers and ministers of Union Territories or states if they have been under arrest for 30 consecutive days on charges of committing an offence punishable with imprisonment for five years or more.
The three bills are the Constitution 130th Amendment Bill, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Amendment Bill and the Government of Union Territories Amendment Bill. As the first of these is a constitutional amendment, it will need to be passed by a two-thirds majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The bills allow for the removal of the prime minister, and chief ministers and ministers of Union Territories or states arrested for 30 consecutive days on the charges of committing an offence punishable with imprisonment for five years or more.
The bills were sent to a joint parliamentary committee for scrutiny. The committee has MPs from both ruling and opposition parties.