151 lawmakers face cases of crime against women, 16 charged with rape: ADR report

At a time when the nation is outraged over the rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata, a report by Association for Democratic reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) revealed that 151 sitting MPs and MLAs have cases related to crime against women with the BJP accounting for one-third of such lawmakers.

The report which analysed the election affidavits of 4,693 out of 4,809 lawmakers -- 755 out of 775 MPs and 4,033 out of 4,693 MLAS -- also showed that 16, including two MPs, of them were facing rape charges.

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.

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. The charges include repeated offenses against the same victim, further underscoring the gravity of these cases.