The latest information revealed through RTI has raised a big political question that many leaders of Bihar and Central Government are taking both salary and pension simultaneously. This was revealed in the RTI response given on December 2, 2025, in which the names of a total of 8 leaders are included. Among them are ministers of Modi government and Nitish government, due to which the matter has become more serious.

Big names and complete list

Among the leaders whose names have appeared in RTI, the most shocking names are those of Union Minister Satish Chandra Dubey and Bihar Finance Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav. Apart from these, leaders like Upendra Kushwaha, Devesh Chandra Thakur, Lalan Kumar Saraf, Nitish Mishra and Sanjay Singh are also included in the list. Pension has been issued to all the leaders for many years without any interruption, whereas as per the rules, it is completely wrong to take pension while being a member of any House. Below is the pension list revealed in RTI.

Names and pension amount revealed in RTI (key points)

Satish Chandra Dubey: Rs 59,000, pension starts 26.5.2019.

Bijendra Prasad Yadav: Rs 10,000, pension starts 24.5.2005.

Upendra Kushwaha: Rs 47,000, pension starts 7.3.2005.

Devesh Chandra Thakur: Rs 86,000, pension starts 7.5.2020.

Lalan Saraf: Rs 50,000, pension starts 24.5.2020.

Sanjay Singh: Rs 68,000, pension starts 7.5.2018.

Nitish Mishra: Rs 43,000, pension starts 22.9.2015.

Bhola Yadav: Rs 65,000, he has lost the election, so this pension is not against the rules.

Background and status of leaders

Upendra Kushwaha is a Rajya Sabha MP and is also taking pension since 2005. NDA ally and president of Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Satish Chandra Dubey is currently the Union Minister of State in the Government of India. First he was an MLA and Lok Sabha MP, then reached Rajya Sabha in 2019. Bijendra Prasad Yadav has been the MLA from Supaul continuously since 1990 and is currently the Finance and Energy Minister of Bihar.

Devesh Chandra Thakur JDU leader and Lok Sabha MP of 2024. He has also been the former Chairman of the Legislative Council. Lalan Saraf, senior JDU leader and Legislative Council member. Nitish Mishra is a BJP MLA and claims that he is not taking pension right now. Sanjay Singh is a legislative councilor from JDU and a pensioner since 2018.

What do the rules say and why is the matter controversial?

The rules regarding pension and salary are very clear that if any person is a member of any House and is taking salary, then he cannot take pension. ‘Life Certificate’ has to be given every year, which proves that the pensioner is alive and eligible. Not only this, to continue the pension, it is also necessary to give in writing that he is not serving on any post in the state or central government. In such a situation, a big question arises that how are the ministers and MPs taking pension. Experts say that despite violation of rules, continuous pension in the accounts of these leaders is a serious administrative deficiency in itself and it raises questions on the government system.

Opinion of legal experts

Patna High Court’s senior lawyer Sarvdev Singh has described it as a case of ‘economic crime’. He says that no honorable person can take pension while holding office and if this is happening then it is a violation of both rules and law. Activist Shiv Prakash Rai, who filed the RTI, says that he has obtained this information from government records and it has been made public for transparency. When contacted by Bhaskar, most of the leaders did not receive the calls, although some leaders clarified that the pension had not been received in their account or it might have been registered incorrectly.

Who is saying what and what could be the next action?

Devesh Chandra Thakur and Nitish Mishra called this information incomplete and said that if any pension has come in the account, they will return it. Thakur clearly said that he has never demanded pension. Nitish Mishra claimed that he was able to take only one month’s pension in 2015, when he was not a member of any House. According to Dainik Bhaskar, he has not taken pension after that. On the other hand, after this RTI list came to the fore in political circles, opposition parties have started raising questions on transparency and corruption on the government. This matter can become a big political controversy in the coming days, because current ministers of the central and state governments are involved in it. Now the focus is on what action the government takes on this and whether wrongful payment of pension will really be stopped.

Even after one year of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) rules, it has not been clear how many people have been provided Indian citizenship under this law. The Union Home Ministry (MHA) has refused to share this figure sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, raising serious questions about transparency.

The CAA provides for citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsi refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, provided they have come to India before 31 December 2014, but the ground reality looks different from it. According to BJP MP Jagannath government from Ranaaghat in West Bengal, only less than 100 people have been given citizenship in their constituency, while about one lakh people, especially from Matua community, have potential beneficiaries.

The ministry did not give any answer

When The Hindu put RTI and asked how many people applied for citizenship and how many were approved, the Ministry of Home Affairs replied that they did not have such figures. Later, when the matter went to the Central Information Commission (CIC), he also closed the matter, accepting the reply of the ministry as correct.

Home Minister Amit Shah made a big claim

While discussing the law in Parliament in December 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that millions of people will benefit from CAA. Now that the rules have been implemented more than one year, the figures and information so far do not confirm it.

What is the Citizenship Amendment Act?

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) is a law that provides for Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, provided they have come to India before 31 December 2014 and have fled their country due to harassment. The Muslim community has not been included in this law, due to which it was also in controversies. Its rules came into force in March 2024, after which people can apply online. Its purpose is to give security and citizenship to religious minorities.

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