22 August,2024 07:20 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
Doctors raise slogans during a protest rally. Pics/PTI
As many as 151 sitting MPs and MLAs have declared cases related to crimes against women in their election affidavits, with West Bengal having the highest number of lawmakers facing such cases, according to a recent report by a poll rights body.
For the report, the Association for Democratic Reforms examined 4,693 out of 4,809 affidavits of sitting MPs and MLAs submitted to the Election Commission of India during elections between 2019 and 2024. The organisation identified 16 MPs and 135 MLAs facing cases related to crimes against women.
BHU students hold posters
West Bengal tops the list with 25 sitting MPs and MLAs facing charges related to crimes against women, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 21 and Odisha with 17, according to the report that comes amid the nationwide protests over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in a state-run hospital in Kolkata and sexual assault of two children in Thane.
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According to the report, there are 16 sitting MPs and MLAs who have declared cases related to rape under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 376, which carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and can be extend to life imprisonment. Of these, two are MPs and 14 MLAs.
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The charges include repeated offenses against the same victim, further underscoring the gravity of these cases. Among political parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the highest number of representatives (54 MPs and MLAs) with declared cases related to crimes against women, followed by the Congress with 23 and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 17, according to the report.
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