Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the Purulia district magistrate to make arrangements so that a floor test could be held by December 8 at Jhalda municipality to know whether present chairperson Sheela Chatterjee enjoyed the majority.

Justice Amrita Sinha also asked the district magistrate to file a compliance report before the court by December 12.

"All the councillors are requested to cooperate with the district magistrate in conducting the floor test," Justice Sinha in her order said.

The order followed two separate petitions — one by five Trinamul Congress councillors and the other by two Congress councillors — declaring that they had no confidence in Chatterjee. The municipality has a total of 12 councillors.

All the seven petitioners sought an order from the court to the district magistrate to hold a floor test to find out whether Chatterjee enjoyed the support of a majority of the councillors.

The lawyer appearing for Chatterjee opposed the prayer and informed the court that a division bench had issued an interim order in February saying she would continue as chairperson till a case challenging her candidature was disposed of.

Chatterjee's counsel said the present cases were not maintainable.

But Justice Sinha held that since a majority of councillors had informed the court through the writ petitions that they had no confidence in Chaterjee, the present chairperson should face a no-confidence motion.

"Chairperson should have the confidence of a majority of the councillors," the judge held.