Close to 43% of the newbies of the lower house of Parliament that convenes on Monday for the first time since the election turned victorious despite facing criminal charges. And more than a quarter of those relate to rape, murder or attempted murder, according to a report by the civic group Association of Democratic Reforms.

The loophole that gives them liberty to take office is that they have not been convicted — in part because the Indian legal system has a huge backlog of an estimated 30 million cases and trials often last decades. When asked about the charges against them, they invariably accuse a political rival of framing them.

And as long as such rivalries often lead to false accusations, the main political parties say that it would be unfair to bar people from contesting elections unless they have been convicted by court.

Under existing laws, only those who have been sentenced to prison for two years or more can be restricted from elections.

Members of Parliament with criminal backgrounds is not new talk in India, but regardless of Modi’s campaign vow in 2014 to clean up corruption and the influence of money in politics, the problem appears to be worsening.