Prescribed authority must convene the Upa-Pradhan removal meeting within ten days with police protection.

The petitioners, elected members of 11 No. Madhurkul Gram Panchayat, stated that they had lost confidence in the Upa-Pradhan.

They submitted a requisition dated 24 August 2026, received by the prescribed authority on 27 August 2026, seeking a meeting to consider the Upa-Pradhan’s removal.

A meeting fixed for 8 September 2026 was postponed because the police could not provide the necessary force.

The petitioners sought a direction requiring the prescribed authority and the Block Development Officer to convene the meeting with police protection.

The State submitted that protection could be arranged if the Court granted additional time; the private respondent did not appear despite service.

1. Whether the prescribed authority’s postponement of the meeting because of the unavailability of police protection warranted a direction to convene the meeting within an extended period.

2. Whether the meeting should be held with police protection to ensure the safety and security of participants.

The Court relied on the Division Bench decision in MAT 992 of 2022, dated 15 July 2022, which directed that a meeting concerning removal of an Upa-Pradhan be held within an extended period with necessary police protection after an earlier adjournment.

The judgment refers to statutory provisions governing the requisition but does not identify them by name or section.

The applicable principle was that security concerns could be addressed by arranging police protection and should not prevent the meeting from being held within a reasonable, extended timeframe.

The meeting had been postponed because the police could not provide protection, but the State indicated that the necessary arrangements could be made if further time were allowed.

Applying the approach taken in MAT 992 of 2022 to the similar circumstance of an adjourned meeting, the Court concluded that the prescribed authority should convene the meeting within an extended period and that the police should facilitate its safe conduct.

It further directed the local police to provide necessary assistance and the Superintendent of Police, Murshidabad, to take steps to ensure participants’ safety and security on the date fixed for the meeting.