Madhya Pradesh elects 205 crorepati lawmakers; BJP MLA tops list with Rs 296-cr assets
Bhopal, Dec 6: As many as 205 of the 230 newly-elected MLAs in Madhya Pradesh are crorepatis with state Congress president Kamal Nath figuring among the three richest lawmakers with more than Rs 134 crore worth of assets.
Newly-elected BJP MLA from Ratlam City, Chaitanya Kashyap, tops the list with declared assets worth Rs 296 crore, while his party colleague Sanjay Satyendra Pathak (Vijayraghavgarh) was at the second spot with Rs 242 crore assets, according an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report.
It said the number of MLAs possessing assets worth more than Rs 1 crore increased to 205 in 2023 from 187 in 2018. Of these crorepati MLAs, 144 are from the BJP and 61 from the Congress.
The BJP swept the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, winning 163 seats, increasing its tally from 109 in 2018. The Congress, which had won 114 seats in 2018 in the state, was reduced to 66 seats, while new entrant Bharat Adivasi Party managed to win in one constituency.
The winning candidate of the Bharat Adivasi Party, Kamlesh Dodiyar, leads among the newly elected MLAs with lowest assets. Dodiyar has declared assets worth Rs 18 lakh.
Two other candidates with lowest assets included BJP's Santosh Varkade (Sihora) with assets worth Rs 25 lakh and his party colleague Kanchan Mukesh Tanve (Khandwa) with assets totalling Rs 26 lakh, said the report.
Among the candidates having highest liabilities, BJP's former minister Surendra Patwa (Bhojpur) is leading with debt of Rs 57 crore, Dinesh Jain (Mahidpur) of the Congress was on second place with Rs 30 crore and BJP's Bhupendra Singh (Khurai) on third with Rs 23 crore, said the ADR.
The report said of the 205 crorepatis, 102 MLAs have declared assets of Rs 5 crore and above. As many as 71 legislators have declared assets between Rs 2 crore and Rs 5 crore. Also, 48 legislators have declared assets between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 2 crores while nine of the elected MLAs own assets lower than Rs 50 lakh.
The average assets of the newly-elected MLAs stood at Rs 11.77 crore, up from Rs 10.17 crore in 2018, said the report.
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Deep societal faultlines persist despite 75 years of independence: Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Judge cites denial of home to Muslim girl, opposition to Dalit women cooking mid-day meals
Hyderabad, February 23, 2026: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has said that despite repeated affirmations of constitutional morality by courts, deep societal faultlines rooted in caste and religious discrimination continue to shape everyday realities in India.
Speaking at a seminar on “Constitutional Morality and the Role of District Judiciary” organised by the Telangana Judges Association and the Telangana State Judicial Academy in Hyderabad, Justice Bhuyan reflected on the gap between constitutional ideals and social practices.
He cited a recent instance involving his daughter’s friend, a PhD scholar at a private university in Noida, who was denied accommodation in South Delhi after her surname revealed her Muslim identity. According to Justice Bhuyan, the landlady bluntly informed her that no accommodation was available once her religious background became known.
In another example from Odisha, he referred to resistance by some parents to the government’s mid-day meal programme because the food was prepared by Dalit women employed as cooks. He noted that some parents had objected aggressively and refused to allow their children to consume meals cooked by members of the Scheduled Caste community.
Describing these incidents as “the tip of the iceberg,” Justice Bhuyan said they reveal how far society remains from the benchmark of constitutional morality even 75 years into the Republic. He observed that while the Constitution lays down standards of equality and dignity, the morality practised within homes and communities often diverges sharply from those values.
He emphasised that constitutional morality requires governance through the rule of law rather than the rule of popular opinion. Referring to the evolution of the doctrine through judicial decisions, he cited Naz Foundation v Union of India, in which the Delhi High Court read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, holding that popular morality cannot restrict fundamental rights under Article 21. Though the judgment was later overturned in Suresh Kumar Koushal v Naz Foundation, the Supreme Court ultimately restored and expanded the principle in Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India, affirming that constitutional morality must prevail over majoritarian views.
“In our constitutional scheme, it is the constitutionality of the issue before the court that is relevant, not the dominant or popular view,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also addressed the functioning of the district judiciary, underlining that trial courts are the first point of contact for most litigants and form the foundation of the justice delivery system. He stressed that due importance must be given to the recording of evidence and adjudication of bail matters.
Highlighting the role of High Courts, he said their supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution is intended as a shield to correct grave jurisdictional errors, not as a mechanism to substitute the discretion or factual appreciation of trial judges.
He recalled that several distinguished judges, including Justice H R Khanna, Justice A M Ahmadi, and Justice Fathima Beevi, began their careers in the district judiciary.
On representation within the judicial system, Justice Bhuyan noted that Telangana has made significant strides in gender inclusion. Out of a sanctioned strength of 655 judicial officers in the Telangana Judicial Service, 478 are currently serving, of whom 283 are women, exceeding 50 per cent representation. He added that members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority communities, and persons with disabilities are also represented in the state’s judiciary.
He observed that greater representation of women, marginalised communities, persons with disabilities, and sexual minorities would help make the judiciary more inclusive and reflective of India’s diversity. “The judiciary must represent all the colours of the rainbow and become a rainbow institution,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also referred to the recent restoration by the Supreme Court of the requirement of a minimum three years of practice at the Bar for entry-level judicial posts. While acknowledging that the requirement ensures practical exposure, he cautioned that its impact on women aspirants, especially those from rural or small-town backgrounds facing social and financial constraints, would need to be carefully observed over time.
Concluding his address, he reiterated that the justice system must strive to bridge the gap between constitutional ideals and lived realities, ensuring that the rule of law remains paramount.
