New Delhi, Jun 11: Twenty-eight ministers in the third Narendra Modi government have criminal cases against them with 19 of them facing serious charges such as attempted murder, crimes against women and hate speech, poll rights body Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) said.

Among the ministers facing the most severe allegations, two have declared cases related to attempt to murder under Indian Penal Code section 307.

They are Shantanu Thakur, minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways, and Sukanta Majumdar, minister of state for education and Development of North Eastern Region, the ADR said.

The ADR report also highlighted that five ministers have cases related to crimes against women.

They are Minister of State (MoS) for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Thakur, Majumdar, MoS for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi and Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram.

Additionally, the ADR report identifies eight ministers with cases related to hate speech.

A total of 28 out of 71 ministers (39 per cent) have declared criminal cases, it said.

The new Council of Ministers that took the oath on June 9 has 72 members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday held that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act cannot be stunted by personal laws and that marriages involving children violate the free will to have a life partner of choice.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also issued a slew of guidelines for effective implementation of the law on prevention of child marriages in the country.

Reading out the judgement, the CJI said the law on prevention of child marriages cannot be stunted by the personal law.

Such marriages are violative of minors' free will to choose life, it said.

The authorities must focus on child marriage prevention and protection of minors while penalising offenders as a last resort.

The bench also noted that the law on Prohibition of Child Marriage has certain gaps.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 was enacted to prevent child marriages and ensure their eradication from society. The Act replaced the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929.

"Preventive strategy should be tailored to different communities, the law will only succeed when there is a multi sectoral coordination. Training and capacity building of the law enforcement officers needs to be there. We emphasise that there needs to be community driven approaches," the bench said.