Greater than 70 per cent of the newly sworn-in ministers in Bihar have declared prison circumstances in opposition to themselves, the ballot rights physique ADR mentioned. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav even have circumstances registered in opposition to them. Kumar, who lately severed ties with the BJP and joined arms with the RJD to type the federal government in Bihar, expanded his new cupboard on Tuesday by inducting 31 new ministers. Kumar and Deputy CM Yadav had been sworn in earlier on August 10.

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Consequent to the reconstitution of the Bihar Council of Ministers, the Affiliation for Democratic Reforms and the Bihar Election Watch have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 32 out of 33 ministers, together with the chief minister, submitted in the course of the 2020 Meeting polls. In response to the report, 23 ministers (72 per cent) have declared prison circumstances in opposition to themselves and 17 ministers (53 per cent) have declared critical prison circumstances in opposition to themselves.

Nevertheless, this isn’t a brand new phenomenon in India. All through our political historical past, MPs, MLAs, Ministers have sported prison antecedents. Whereas a variety of hue and cry has been raised on the difficulty over time, there’s lack of accountability.

Having a look at some tainted ministers and the circumstances filed in opposition to them:

L Murugan

Loganathan Murugan is the at the moment Minister of State within the Ministries of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy, in addition to Data and Broadcasting. He was appointed as a Union Minister of State on July 7, 2021, after serving because the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Occasion’s Tamil Nadu unit.

Regardless of having practiced regulation, he has 21 circumstances in opposition to him. Whereas it’s unclear whether or not the entire circumstances had been registered earlier than or in the course of the pandemic, he has been charged in 14 of the circumstances with “negligent act more likely to unfold an infection of illness harmful to life.” One other 4 circumstances contain “malignant acts more likely to unfold illness harmful to life.” Murugan and 100 occasion staff had been arrested in December 2020 for organising the “Vetri Vel Yatra” or Victorious Spear March with out the permission of the police. The march was supposed to spotlight the state’s “anti-Hindu narrative” and “minority appeasement,” mentioned a report by Information Laundry.

Ashok Chandna

Ashok Chandna was elected to the fifteenth Rajasthan Legislative Meeting as a member of the Indian Nationwide Congress occasion. He’s additionally the Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports activities (Impartial Cost), Talent, Employment and Entrepreneurship (Impartial Cost), Transport, and Soldier Welfare within the Rajasthan authorities.

In response to a report within the Instances of India, Chandna has the best variety of circumstances registered in opposition to him vs others within the Rajasthan cohort. Older reviews linked him to a case filed in Sriganganagar in regards to the issuance of a pistol licence in his title on solid papers.

Vishvendra Singh

Instances are additionally pending in opposition to Vishvendra Singh, a member of Bharatpur’s former royal household. He’s at the moment Cupboard minister in Rajasthan Authorities, within the Tourism and Civil Aviation Division and belongs to the INC. Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha for the primary time on a BJP ticket in 1989, however he resigned from the seat in 1991 over the reservation subject, demanding financial quotas and main a number of protests. Throughout the Jat Andolan, a case was filed in opposition to him, in line with his affidavit.

Shantanu Thakur

Shantanu Thakur has served because the Lok Sabha Member for Bangaon since 2019. After the Cupboard reshuffle on July 7, 2021, he was sworn in as Union Minister of State, Ministry of Ports, Delivery, and Waterways.

He comes from a strong political household. In response to the New Indian Specific, he entered politics because of a household feud and is now considered some of the highly effective leaders of Bengal’s Matua neighborhood. The Matuas are a Scheduled Caste group with a major illustration in six parliamentary seats. Thakur, the seventeenth Lok Sabha member from Bangaon, is dealing with eight prison expenses. His first case was in December 2014, and the newest was in early 2019, simply three months earlier than he was elected to the Lok Sabha.

Shantanu has been charged with prison intimidation in six completely different circumstances. He has additionally been charged with inflicting grievous hurt voluntarily in three circumstances.

GR Anil

Advocate G. R. Anil is at the moment serves because the Minister for Meals and Civil Provides, Client Affairs, and Authorized Metrology within the fifteenth Kerala Legislative Meeting. A member of the CPI (M), he has three prison circumstances registered in opposition to him.

Twelve ministers within the Kerala cupboard have declared prison circumstances in opposition to themselves of their election affidavits, in line with an earlier report by ballot rights group Affiliation for Democratic Reforms.

Kerala Election Watch and the Affiliation for Democratic Reforms (ADR) had printed the report after analysing self-sworn affidavits of 20 of the 21 ministers, together with that of Pinarayi Vijayan who was sworn-in as chief minister on Could 20.

What’s the Newest Scoop in Bihar?

Aday after being sworn in because the regulation minister within the new Nitish Kumar-led Bihar authorities, Kartikeya Singh alias Kartik Grasp confronted an arrest warrant in alleged reference to a 2014 kidnapping case. An official mentioned on Wednesday that the RJD chief prevented surrendering to a courtroom or police within the case on August 16, the day he took the oath as a state cupboard minister.

On being requested by reporters in regards to the warrant in opposition to Kartikeya, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar mentioned that he has no details about any such case. “I have no idea. I’m not conscious of it,” Kumar mentioned.

In the meantime, an inner dispute between two JD-U legislators in Bihar went public on Wednesday after Bima Bharti, MLA from Rupauli meeting constituency in Purnea district, opened a entrance in opposition to state cupboard minister Leshi Singh. Levelling critical allegations on Singh, Bharti mentioned that the minister and her son are concerned in homicide and extortion. She additionally claimed that Singh was concerned in anti-party actions in the course of the election.

“Why Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made Leshi Singh minister in Bihar authorities regardless of she is dealing with some critical expenses together with homicide and extortion. If Nitish Kumar doesn’t take away her from the cupboard minister submit, I’ll resign from the MLA submit and the occasion; and can stage dharna outdoors the Chief Minister’s residence,” Bharti mentioned.

‘Course Correction’ Wanted?

Supreme Court docket Bar Affiliation (SCBA) President Vikas Singh lately mentioned 43 per cent of lawmakers have prison antecedents and the nation wants a course correction by enacting a regulation to forestall such individuals from getting elected.

He mentioned there have been two areas with regard to the justice supply — high quality of legislators and appointment of judges — the place critical reforms and critical introspection had been wanted. “At the moment, after 75 years if we see 43 per cent of our legislators having prison antecedents, I believe we’d like a course correction. I believe we have to amend (regulation) as a result of no particular person political occasion can take the initiative of guaranteeing that folks with prison antecedents should not elected. As a result of if a celebration doesn’t give a ticket to anyone who has been successful, the opposite occasion will,” he had mentioned.

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