ADR finds 47% of India’s ministers face criminal cases, with high numbers in TDP, DMK, and Congress. Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani is the richest minister with assets over ₹5705 crore.

Nearly half of India’s ministers have declared criminal cases against themselves, ranging from serious charges such as murder, kidnapping and crimes against women to financial irregularities, according to a new analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The findings come days after the Centre introduced three bills seeking to remove prime ministers, chief ministers, and ministers arrested for over 30 days on grave criminal charges.

The ADR study, based on self-sworn affidavits filed with the Election Commission, examined 643 ministers across 27 state assemblies, three Union Territories, and the Union Council of Ministers. Of these, 302 ministers — or 47% — face criminal cases, with 174 accused of serious offences.

Party-wise analysis revealed striking variations. The BJP, which has the largest ministerial base, had 136 of its 336 ministers (40%) declaring criminal cases, with 88 facing serious charges.

In the Congress, 45 of its 61 ministers (74%) declared cases, including 18 with serious offences.

The DMK reported even higher proportions — 27 of its 31 ministers (87%) face criminal charges, with 14 facing grave accusations.

The TDP had the sharpest numbers: 22 of 23 ministers (96%) face cases, of which 13 are for serious crimes.

Other parties too reflected troubling statistics — AAP had 11 of 16 ministers (69%) facing cases, while the Trinamool Congress reported 13 of its 40 ministers (33%).

At the Union level, 29 of 72 ministers (40%) declared pending criminal cases. Among states, 11 assemblies — including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Puducherry — had more than 60% of ministers facing criminal charges.

In contrast, ministers in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland and Uttarakhand reported no cases against them.

The report also shed light on the financial profile of ministers, revealing stark disparities in wealth. The average assets of ministers stood at ₹37.21 crore, with the combined declared wealth of all ministers amounting to ₹23,929 crore. Out of 30 Assemblies, 11 have billionaire ministers. Karnataka leads with eight billionaires, followed by Andhra Pradesh (six) and Maharashtra (four). At the Union level, six of the 72 ministers (8%) declared assets above ₹1,000 crore.

Party-wise, the BJP had the highest number of billionaire ministers at 14, though this accounted for only 4% of its total. The Congress followed with 11 (18%), while the TDP reported six billionaires, or 26% of its ministers. Other parties, including AAP, JD(S), NCP, Shiv Sena and Janasena, also had billionaire ministers.

The richest minister in India, as per ADR, is Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani of the TDP, who represents Guntur in the Lok Sabha, with declared assets worth over ₹5,705 crore. He is followed by Karnataka Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar, with assets exceeding ₹1,413 crore, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with over ₹931 crore.

The top 10 also includes prominent names like Narayana Ponguru, Nara Lokesh, Gaddam Vivekanand, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Suresha B.S., Mangal Prabhat Lodha, and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

On the other end of the wealth spectrum, some ministers reported very modest assets. Sukla Charan Noatia of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura declared just ₹2 lakh, while Birbaha Hansda of the Trinamool Congress reported assets of slightly over ₹3 lakh.

ADR has noted that the criminal case data is based on affidavits filed between 2020 and 2025, and the status of these cases may have changed since submission. Nonetheless, the report raises questions about both the legal integrity and financial concentration among India’s political leadership.