New Delhi: A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Kerala Election Watch has found that 18 of 20 Kerala ministers whose affidavits were analysed have declared criminal cases against their names. Fifteen of them are crorepatis.

The analysis is based on self-sworn affidavits of 20 out of 21 ministers, including Chief Minister V D Satheesan, who were sworn in on Monday after the Congress-led UDF returned to power in Kerala following a 10-year gap.

The affidavit of Thiruvananthapuram minister C P John was not analysed as the document uploaded on the Election Commission website was unclear at the time of the report’s preparation, ADR said.

Criminal cases and serious charges flagged

The report stated that 18 ministers, or 90 per cent of those analysed, have declared criminal cases against them. Of these, 14 ministers, or 70 per cent, are facing serious criminal cases.

Assets, education, and demographic profile

On assets, the report said 15 of the 20 ministers analysed, or 75 per cent, are crorepatis. The average assets declared by the 20 ministers stand at Rs 6.32 crore.

Chavara MLA Shibu Baby John has declared the highest assets at Rs 24.63 crore, while Kodungallur MLA O J Janeesh reported the lowest at Rs 57.08 lakh.

The report also assessed educational, age, and gender profiles of the ministers. It found three ministers, or 15 per cent, have educational qualifications between Class 10 and Class 12, while 17 ministers, or 85 per cent, are graduates or above.

In terms of age, six ministers, or 30 per cent, fall in the 31–50 age group, while 14 ministers, or 70 per cent, fall between 51 and 80 years.

Women constitute two of the 21 ministers in the Kerala Cabinet, around 10 per cent of the total strength, the report said.