1. This writ application raises a short but interesting point of law relating to certain provisions of the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973, and the West Bengal (Gram Panchayat Administration) Rules, 1981.

2. The petitioner no.1 is the Pradhan and the other petitioners are members of the no.7 Silgram Gram Panchayat, under Raigunj Police Station, in the district of Uttar Dinajpur.

3. It appears that by a written notice dated 5th October, 1993, some of the members of the aforesaid Gram Panchayat requested the petitioner no.1 to convene a meeting of the Gram Panchayat for the purpose of ascertaining as to whether the petitioner no.1 continued to enjoy the confidence of the majority of the members to continue as the Pradhan thereof. It appears that on the failure of the petitioner no.1 to convene such meeting, the respondent no. 5 to 19 issued a notice convening a requisition meeting of the Gram Panchayat on 4th November, 1993, for the purpose referred to in the notice of 5th October, 1993.

4. It appears that the requisition meeting was held as scheduled on 4th November, 1993, and was presided over by one Shri Naba Kumar Barman, a member of the aforesaid Gram Panchayat, although, the