Karnataka: 16 out of 34 ministers have criminal cases against them

As per the affidavits submitted to the election commission, 16 of the 34 ministers in the Karnataka government have criminal cases against them. While chargesheets have been filed in many cases, no one has been convicted in any of the cases.

With 42 criminal cases, B Nagendra tops the list followed by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who has 19 pending cases against him.

Lokayukta is investigating 21 cases involving Nagendra, Central Bureau of Investigation is looking into four of the cases while CID is investigating one case. He has been booked under the Mines and Mineral Regulation of Development Act of 1957 and the Karnataka Forest Act of 1957.

Shivakumar faces six serious cases, including causing the disappearance of evidence, giving false information to screen offenders, bribery, and forgery for the purpose of cheating.

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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has 13 cases pending against him, including charges related to undue influence at elections, bribery and unlawful assembly.

B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan has six serious cases against him including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing death by negligence, assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, forgery for the purpose of cheating, cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property and criminal intimidation.

According to the Affidavit filed by Davangere North MLA S S Mallikarjun, he has a case filed against him under various sections the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 for illegal housing of wild animals.

Priyank Kharge (9), Ehswar Khandre (7), M B Patil (5), Ramalinga Reddy (4), Dr G Parameshwara (3), H K Patil (2), D Sudhakar (2), Satish Jarkiholi (2), Krishna Byre Gowda (1), N Cheluvarayaswamy (1), and K H Muniyappa (1) are the other ministers to have cases pending against them. The majority of them have been booked under unlawful assembly.

Association for Democratic Reforms Karnataka co-ordinator Kathyayini Chamaraj said law is unfair with respect to politicians. “If a peon or a government officer is charged with criminal cases, they are suspended and after conviction they are terminated from the service. However, the elected representatives continue to enjoy their position in spite of serious cases booked against them. Even after conviction, they can contest the polls after six years and even become ministers.”

She urged the Supreme Court to issue immediate orders and not wait for Parliament to pass a law to decriminalise the electoral process and ensure that people with serious criminal cases are barred from contesting election for ever.

Crorepati ministers

Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet is filled with crorepatis. Only one of the 34 ministers is not a crorepati. Timmapur Ramappa Balappa has declared that his total net worth is Rs 58.6 lakh, whereas Shivakumar (Rs 1,413 crore) is the richest minister in the new Cabinet. He is followed by Suresha B S, who has declared his total assets worth Rs 648.1 crore, followed by Satish Jarkiholi (Rs 175 crore), M B Patil (Rs 141 crore), Santosh Lad (Rs 138.7 crore), D Sudhakar (Rs 135. 7 crore), and Ramalinga Reddy (Rs 110 crore). Chief Minister Siddaramiah has riches of Rs 51 crore.