Calcutta HC dismisses petition challenging Darjeeling municipality floor test
The petition by the Hamro Party (HP) challenged the legality of the December 28 floor test in which the party lost control
The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) is set to form the new board at Darjeeling municipality as the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta high court on Wednesday dismissed Hamro Party’s (HP) petition challenging the legality of the December 28 floor test in which the party lost control.
The HP, which won 18 of the hill town’s 32 municipal wards in the March 2022 polls, formed the board with Ritesh Portel as the chairman. However, the party lost majority when six of its councillors joined the BGPM in November.
The HP was founded 14 months ago by Ajoy Edwards, owner of a famous confectionary outlet in Darjeeling.
The HP-controlled board got dissolved on December 28 when 16 councillors, including two from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), attended the floor test. Twelve HP councillors and three from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) abstained claiming the floor test was conducted illegally.
The HP moved the Calcutta high court claiming that defection of its six councillors to the BGPM and the floor test were illegal. HP moved the Jalpaiguri circuit bench after a single bench order went against it.
“The court said Portel was removed from the post of chairman following laid down procedures. There was nothing illegal in it,” said Bikramjit Ghosh, one of the lawyers who represented the state government on Wednesday.
Amar Lama, BGPM general secretary and one of the lawyers in the case, said, “The court dismissed the HP’s plea and now the BGPM will form the board on January 16.”
“We will move to the Supreme Court,” Portel said.