Shillong: North Tura MLA and Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma appeared in a new Association for Democratic Reforms report. The document lists sitting legislators who declared cases involving crimes against women. Researchers from the ADR and National Election Watch examined 4,881 election affidavits from MPs and MLAs nationwide.
Sangma, a member of the NPP, declared one pending case. Records show charges under IPC Section 376(2)(n) for repeated rape and Section 506 for criminal intimidation. Police filed FIR No. 154(6)2021 at the Sadar Police Station in Shillong. The case remains before the Chief Judicial Magistrate. No charges have been framed, and Sangma has no convictions.
The national tally includes 187 legislators with similar declared cases. This total covers 19 MPs and 168 MLAs. Fourteen of these individuals face charges specifically related to rape. "The organisation noted that the inclusion of these cases is based on self-declared information and does not establish guilt, adding that the current status of the legal proceedings may vary."
Political affiliations vary. Both the BJP and Congress hold the highest numbers with four legislators each facing rape charges. The NPP, TDP, Trinamool Congress, BJD, Bharat Adivasi Party, and All India Secular Front each have one MLA in that category. The findings rely on Form 26 affidavits submitted to the Election Commission of India between 2022 and 2026.
Comments