Malda zilla parishad chief resigns after Calcutta high court rejects plea

MALDA: Zilla parishad sabhadhipati Gour Mandal tendered his resignation on Tuesday after Calcutta High Court rejected his prayer to stay a no-confidence notice served to him by 23 members of the 38-strong district council.
Justice Shampa Sarkar refused to stay the no-confidence motion and also a meeting scheduled on July 8 for a trust vote. The single bench asked the presiding officer to take a call on the matter.
Mandal, who had joined BJP ahead of assembly polls, contested from Manikchak, but lost. Some members of Trinamool-run Malda zilla parishad defected with Mandal, but retraced their way back after polls. They were among those who issued the no-confidence notice.
Mandal moved the high court, challenging the notice. In his petition, he had said such a crucial meeting must not be held amid the pandemic.