Calcutta HC quashes notice for meeting to remove Bidhannagar mayor

The Calcutta High Court Wednesday quashed a notice for a meeting of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to remove Sabyasachi Dutta as its mayor and directed that a fresh notice be issued and no-confidence proceedings held within two days.

Justice Samapti Chattopadhyay directed the BMC chairperson to convene the meeting on the basis of a requisition by 35 of the civic body's 41 councillors expressing 'no confidence' in Dutta.

Justice Chattopadhyay observed that in order to prevent horse-trading, the meeting will have to be held within two days.

In the notice issued to Dutta on July 9, the BMC commissioner had convened a meeting of the board of councillors on Thursday on the direction of the chairperson for removing him as mayor.

The court quashed the notice since it had not been issued as per the provisions of West Bengal Municipal Act 2006.

It held that as per law, only the chairperson can issue a notice for a meeting of board of councillors of a municipal corporation.

The BMC is run by West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

In the eye of a political storm over his recent meetings with BJP leader Mukul Roy, Dutta, also TMC MLA from Rajarhat-Newtown, has been at loggerheads with his party leadership for some time.

In his petition, he had claimed that the attempt to remove him from the post of mayor is a "sinister coup" to transfer power for satisfying personal ego.