NEW DELHI: At a time of heightened national concern over recent cases of sexual violence in Kolkata and Thane, 16 MPs and 135 MLAs, in their elections affidavits, have declared cases related to crimes against women, according to a report by political watchdog ADR.
The ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms) report is based on the self-declared affidavits by lawmakers during the time of their elections from 2019 to 2024.
The ADR scrutinised a total of 4,693 of the 4,809 affidavits submitted to the Election Commission of India.
West Bengal has the highest number of lawmakers involved, totalling 25 MPs and MLAs, followed by Andhra Pradesh, with 21, and Odisha, with 17.
The ADR report has come into public domain amid the nationwide outrage against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in a state-run hospital in Kolkata and the sexual assault of two children in Thane.
According to the report, two MPs and 14 MLAs have declared cases related to rape under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 376, which carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and can be extended to life imprisonment.
It further claims that the BJP has 54, the highest number of representatives with declared cases, followed by the Congress with 23 and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 17.
Upon findings, the ADR has issued strong recommendations to address these issues. It has urged political parties to avoid granting tickets to candidates with criminal backgrounds, particularly those facing charges related to rape and other crimes against women.