KOLKATA/CONTAI: The tussle over control of Contai Municipality reached the Calcutta High Court on Thursday.
The petition filed in HC argued against the removal of Soumendu Adhikari as chairman of the municipality’s board of administrators (BoA). The HC did not pass any interim order.
Newly appointed BoA chairman Siddhartha Maiti took charge on Thursday.
Soumendu is the brother of former Trinamool minister Suvendu Adhikari, who recently switched over to BJP. Speaking at a rally in Khardah on Tuesday, Suvendu had said lotus would bloom in his home. Suvendu’s father Sisir Adhikari and brother Dibyendu are Trinamool MPs. Dibyendu said: “I am still with Trinamool and I believe in the ideology of Mamata Banerjee. Hope she will give justice, as I had written to her.”
It was on Tuesday that Soumendu was removed from the BoA chairman’s post.
Soumendu said he had challenged his removal in HC and expected a hearing on Monday. “I was removed without any chance of self-defence. Thus it violated the principle of natural justice, for which I moved the HC. I wrote to the DM and SDO, but did not get any reply,” he said.
Soumendu added: “I got the removal order on Wednesday. On Thursday afternoon, I came to know that a gazette notification was issued by the state government.” He had appealed for holding early polls to Contai Municipality.
New BoA chairman Maiti faced some resistance from Soumendu’s followers on reaching the municipality around 2pm. Even the municipality’s executive officer was reluctant to allow him to take charge in absence of Soumendu, who had conveyed in a letter he would be out and unable to hand over charge until January 4. Maiti assumed charge in Soumendu’s absence after approval from the Contai SDO.
Suvendu is supposed to hold a rally in Kanthi on Friday. Soumendu, asked whether he would attend the BJP rally, said: “Wait till tomorrow, you will see.”
CPM’s Rajya Sabha MP and advocate Bikash Bhattacharya, who is representing Soumendu, said his removal was illegal and so they moved the HC.
Senior Trinamool MP Saugata Roy said: “Soumendu was appointed chairman of BoA by the state government. The municipality’s term had ended. The state government does not want him. So a different person was appointed chairman of BOA, as per rules.”