MUMBAI: A recent report of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO, has prompted Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite cases against 97 BJP parliamentarians who face criminal charges.

Of the six Sena-BJP MPs in Mumbai, four are accused in criminal cases pending in various courts, the former MP said.

On Wednesday, the prime minister had, while replying to the President's address to Parliament, sought the support of lawmakers to ask the Supreme Court to complete trials of pending cases against MPs within a year. Research by ADR shows that 186 members of the elected Lower House facing criminal charges.

Of the 97 BJP MPs, 63 are involved in cases of grave offence such as murder, kidnapping and fomenting communal strife, according to the ADR report which is based on the affidavits filed by candidates during the Lok Sabha election held in April.

Nirupam urged Modi to present the affidavits of the 97 BJP MPs to the Supreme Court. The former Congress MP also reminded the prime minister of his pre-poll assurance that if elected to office, he would expedite criminal cases against elected representatives to end criminalization of politics.

Nirupam said the PM should urge the apex court to speed up the cases