Bihar cabinet: 72% of new ministers face criminal charges; RJD tops list

New Delhi: 23 out of 33 ministers in the newly sworn-in Bihar cabinet have declared criminal cases against them, a report by poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) revealed. ADR has analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 32 out of 33 ministers, including the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) tops the list of the political parties having the maximum number of ministers with criminal charges against them.

The report also mentioned that 17 such ministers have declared serious criminal cases against them. ADR has analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 32 out of 33 ministers, including the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejasvi Yadav. 

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15 out of 17 RJD ministers have declared criminal charges, while 11 have declared serious criminal charges. Similarly, four out of 11 ministers from JD(U) have declared criminal charges while three of them have serious criminal charges.

Congress has two ministers in Bihar Cabinet and both of them have declared criminal charges against them. The report said that one of the two has declared serious criminal charges.

The ADR report said that out of the 32 ministers, 27 (84 percent) ministers are crorepatis and the average asset of the 32 ministers analysed is Rs 5.82 crores. Minister Samir Kumar Mahaseth of RJD from the Madhubani constituency posses the highest assets worth Rs. 24.45 crores.

RJD tops the list with a maximum of 16 out of 17 ministers while JD(U) is in the second position with nine crorepati ministers out of 11.

Eight or 25 percent of ministers have declared their educational qualification to be between 8th and 12th standard, while 24 or 75 per cent of ministers have declared having an educational qualification of a graduate or above