HC to hear Jhalda civic body case on December 20

Kolkata: A division bench has fixed the hearing of councillor Shila Chatterjee’s petition challenging the single bench order directing DM Purulia to oversee the work of the Jhalda Municipality on December 20. The bench also directed Chatterjee not to resign till December 21.The division bench of justices Arijit Banerjee and Apurba Sinha Roy allowed Chatterjee to continue even after the Trinamool brought an anti-defection charge against the councillor.Chatterjee had moved the court of Justice Amrita Sinha challenging a state notification nominating TMC councillor Jaba Machhowar as chairperson of the Jhalda Municipality in Purulia.The state notification was issued a day ahead of the board meeting called by three councillors. The councillors took the initiative after the news spread that Jhalda Municipality vice-chairman Sudip Karmakar had resigned on November 28, without calling a board meeting to elect the new chairperson.Justice Amrita Sinha had stayed the state notification till January 5 and directed the Purulia district magistrate to oversee the municipal work as administrator in the meantime. Justice Sinha, however, didn’t accept Karmakar’s resignation and wanted him to call the board meeting. In the meantime, three councillors called a board meeting and elected Shila Chatterjee the new chairperson.