8 Bihar Ministers facing criminal cases, says Association for Democratic Reforms

NGO releases report after analysing election affidavits

File photo for representation. An election official checks Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in a strong room during counting day of Bihar Assembly polls, in Patna, on Nov. 10, 2020.

Eight Ministers in the

recently sworn-in Bihar Cabinet have declared criminal cases against themselves, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms said on Wednesday.

The ADR analysed the election affidavits of 14 of the 15 Ministers , including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. One Minister — Ram Surat Kumar — was left out of the analysis, as his completed affidavit was not available on the Election Commission’s site.

The Cabinet was sworn in on Monday after the three-phase Bihar Assembly election ended with counting on November 10.

Six Ministers had declared serious criminal cases against themselves, the report said.

Thirteen of the 14 Ministers analysed had declared assets of over ₹1 crore and the average was ₹3.93 crore, according to the report.

Four Ministers had declared their educational qualifications to be Class VIII-XII, while the remaining 10 said they held graduate or higher degrees. Eight of the Ministers are between the ages of 51 and 75, while six are between 41 and 50.