A division bench of Calcutta High Court headed by Justice Arijit Banerjee on Thursday overruled last month’s single bench judge’s order and held that Independent councillor Shila Chatterjee would be the chairperson of Purulia’s Jhalda Municipality.

In an interim order on January 20, Justice Amrita Sinha of the high court set aside the state government’s decision to appoint a Trinamul councillor to chair the municipality but ruled in favour of a Congress councillor and not Chatterjee.

Chatterjee had been elected as chairperson on January 16 in court-monitored voting in the presence of Purulia district magistrate.

Jhalda subdivisional Ritam Jha invoked the anti-defection law to remove Chatterjee within three days of her election to the post of chairperson of Jhalda municipality and appoint Trinamul councillor Sudip Karmakar instead.

Removed from her post, Chatterjee had termed the state government’s move as illegal. “The SDO illegally disqualified me at the behest of Trinamul to grab the civic body.... I will move court,” she had said then.

When Justice Sinha set aside Karmakar’s appointment, but appointed Congress councillor Purnima Kandu, Chatterjee challenged it again.

Overruling Justice Sinha’s January 20 order, the division bench said on Thursday: “Till further orders, Shila Chatterjee will take responsibility of the municipality and act as the chairperson.”