New Delhi: Half of the ministers in the newly sworn-in Tamil Nadu Cabinet have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 20 per cent possess assets exceeding Rs 100 crore, according to a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The report analysed affidavits of all 10 ministers in the Cabinet and found that five ministers (50 per cent) have criminal cases registered against them. Among them, three ministers (30 per cent) have declared serious criminal cases.
The report also noted that only one member of the Cabinet is a woman.
According to the ADR findings, two ministers (20 per cent) have assets worth more than Rs 100 crore. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay emerged as the richest member of the Cabinet, with declared assets worth Rs 648.85 crore. The average assets of the ministers stand at Rs 126.50 crore.
The minister with the lowest declared assets is Keerthana S, elected from the Sivakasi constituency, with assets worth Rs 22.57 lakh.
On educational qualifications, the report stated that three ministers have declared qualifications between Class 8 and Class 12, while seven ministers have qualifications at graduate level or above.
An earlier ADR report analysing affidavits of the 233 winning candidates in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections found that 126 candidates (54 per cent) had declared criminal cases against themselves, while 56 candidates (24 per cent) faced serious criminal charges.
The earlier report also noted that among the 224 MLAs analysed after the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, 134 legislators (60 per cent) had declared criminal cases, while 193 MLAs (83 per cent) were crorepatis.
With PTI inputs