Jaipur: Amid the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan, the Gehlot government on Tuesday dismissed BJP Mayor Soumya Gurjar from the post.
The matter was taken up in the Supreme Court on September 23 and the state government was asked to take action after two days.
Since Monday was a holiday, the state government prepared a proposal for dismissal of the Mayor on Tuesday and sent it to Urban Development Minister Shanti Dhariwal.
On getting the minister’s approval, the Autonomous Government Department issued an order dismissing the Mayor from the post and disqualifying her from contesting elections for the next six years.
Notably, in June 2021, a dispute was reported in a meeting between Mayor Soumya Gurjar, the then commissioner Yagyamitra Singh Deo and other councillors at the Jaipur Municipal Corporation Greater Headquarters.
There was an argument between the councillors and the mayor with the commissioner. The commissioner had left the meeting midway.
But he was stopped at the gate by the councillors, after which the dispute escalated. The commissioner gave a written complaint to the government, accusing the three councillors of assaulting and thrashing him and lodged a case at Jyoti Nagar police station.
On June 5, the government intervened in the matter and handed over the investigation of the complaint received against Mayor Soumya Gurjar and councillors Paras Jain, Ajay Singh, Shankar Sharma to the Regional Director of the Directorate of Autonomous Government.
In the investigation report on June 6, the government suspended all (mayor and three councillors) from the post, considering the four guilty. On the same day, the government started a judicial inquiry against all of them.
The same month, the state government issued an order and appointed councillor Sheel Dhabai as acting mayor.
Mayor Gurjar challenged the suspension in the High Court, but on June 28, the High Court refused to grant a stay on the suspension order.
In July, Soumya Gurjar filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the judicial inquiry and a stay on the suspension order.
On 1 February 2022, the Supreme Court stayed the suspension order, after which Soumya Gurjar resumed the Mayor’s chair on February 2.
Judicial inquiry’s report against Soumya and three other councillors was out on August 11, in which all were found guilty.
On August 22, the government abolished the membership of three BJP councillors. They have also been removed by the government on the basis of this judicial inquiry.
After this, the government filed a petition in the Supreme Court and presented the report of the judicial inquiry and demanded an early hearing of the matter.
The apex court on September 23, allowed the government to proceed.
–IANS
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