Nearly half of ministers face criminal cases 48% ministers have criminal cases, says ADR report

Patna: A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch has revealed that nearly half of the ministers in Bihar’s reconstituted cabinet have declared criminal cases, while an overwhelming 90% are ‘crorepatis’. The findings were released on Friday, after analysing the self-sworn affidavits of 31 of the 35 ministers, including CM Samrat Choudhary, following the cabinet reshuffle carried out on May 7.

The affidavits were filed ahead of the 2025 Bihar assembly and legislative council elections. According to the report, 15 of the 31 ministers analysed, or 48%, have declared criminal cases against themselves. Of these, nine ministers, accounting for 29%, face serious criminal charges.

ADR clarified that two ministers—Ashok Choudhary of the JD(U) and Pramod Kumar of the BJP—were not required to submit affidavits because they are nominated members of the legislative council. The report also excluded Deepak Prakash of the RLM and Nishant Kumar of the JD(U), as neither currently belongs to either House of the legislature.

The wealth profile of the cabinet also stood out sharply. Of the 31 ministers examined, 28 were found to be ‘crorepatis’, with average declared assets of Rs6.32 crore. BJP minister Rama Nishad emerged as the richest among them, declaring assets worth Rs31.86 crore. At the other end, Sanjay Kumar of the LJP(RV) reported the lowest assets at Rs22.30 lakh.

On education, eight ministers, or 26%, reported qualifications between Class 10 and Class 12. Twenty-two ministers, or 71%, were graduates or held higher degrees, while one minister declared a diploma qualification.

The age profile showed that six ministers were between 30 and 50 years old, while 25 were in the 51 to 80 years age bracket. Women remained poorly represented, with only five ministers in the 35-member cabinet, making up just 14%.