The findings from an analysis recently put out by the Association for Democratic Reforms show that five of the seven recently sworn-in ministers in Delhi, along with the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, have themselves declared criminal charges against them.
The report based on self-sworn affidavits submitted just before the Delhi Assembly Elections in 2025 looks into the legal and financial backgrounds of the current cabinet members.
Criminal Cases Among Ministers
The ADR has reported that nearly 71% of the new cabinet have criminal cases lodged against them. Of these, one has serious cases pending against him: Ashish Sood. While the details of these cases have not been revealed in this report, it raises grave concern about the integrity and standards of the current government as these accusations haunt the top tier of Delhi’s leadership.
Financial Profiles and Assets
In a detailed study of their financial standing, the report mentions that two of them are billionaires: Manjinder Singh Sirsa representing the Rajouri Garden constituency with declared assets worth ₹248.85 crores (the richest cabinet member) and Kapil Mishra from Karawal Nagar, having the lowest declared assets of ₹1.06 crores. Seven has declared the average overall assets of ministers that come to ₹56.03 crores.
It should also be borne in mind that the liability aspect magnifies the financial profiles of ministers. All seven report liabilities and lead the political lot with the unqualified disadvantage on their heads: Parvesh Sahib Singh from New Delhi stands big at ₹74.36 crores.
Some controls to economists masterminding the Finance Ministry do give an insight into the individuals from whom current governance of national capital rests!
Now education and demography wise, the cabinet has an ample qualification. Six of the seven ministers declare their qualifications at graduate level or above-the 12th standard in case of exit.
In terms of age distribution, most of the ministers- five (71%) will most probably be in the age group of 41 to 50 years. The other two ministers (29 %) will be in the 51-60 age group. Such a demographic mix would depict a blend of youthful exuberance and seasoned experience in the cabinet.
Gender Representation
The representation of women in the cabinet is very low: one minister, Rekha Gupta. A glaring gender imbalance in the current political leadership of Delhi is, therefore, laid bare and calls for wider inclusiveness of representation in the future governments.
Implications and Public Perception
That a significant portion of the newly formed cabinet in Delhi has pending criminal cases against them has evoked discussions about ethicality in such appointments. The question of credibility of the government would arise because the confidence of citizens in political leadership is everything; a Cabinet featuring ministers with pending cases may have credibility issues.
Adding to this disparity is the connection between wealth and caste, which raises questions about which socio-economic groups of the people will govern over Delhi.
As these new people step into office, they are faced with a daunting dual challenge of addressing these issues while attempting to fulfill their promises made to the electorate. The next few months will be crucial not only for them in gauging public perceptions of the new administration but also in figuring out how much of these issues shall be resolved in terms of governance.
