Claiming to have 'resigned' after being booked for the murder of his 'daughter-in-law', Jaspal Pardhan still remains the mayor of Patiala municipal corporation (MC) technically: he is yet to submit his resignation to the MC commissioner, needed to complete the act of resignation.
According to Section 42 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, a mayor, in case he or she wishes to reign, has to submit the resignation to the commissioner.
But Pardhan, who was told by deputy chief minister and SAD chief Sukhbir Badal to step down after being surrounded by multiple controversies, has not completed the formality.
On Monday evening, Pardhan had told the media that he had sent his resignation to the SAD chief through party chief spokesman Daljeet Singh Cheema.
However, the MC office is still waiting for his resignation in consonance with the formal procedure.
"I have yet not received Pardhan's resignation. He continues to be the mayor as per law," confirmed MC commissioner Gurlavleen Singh Sidhu.
Stating the obvious, a senior MC official disclosed that submitting the resignation to the deputy chief minister or the chief minister would not suffice, until the commissioner of the corporation received it.
{{/usCountry}}Stating the obvious, a senior MC official disclosed that submitting the resignation to the deputy chief minister or the chief minister would not suffice, until the commissioner of the corporation received it.
{{/usCountry}}The only communication the civic body has received from Pardhan is a 200-word note through FAX in which he has cited the reasons for his resignation.
Senior officials are of the view that the resignation could not be accepted through fax because of the questionable credibility of this mode of communication.
"Moreover, this note is not legible and the signature on the note is also not clear," said a senior MC official.
The SAD leader is on the run after his name figured in the FIR lodged in the case of the murder of his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son from his second but secret wife. The second wife and her son have already been remanded to police custody.
The trio -- Pardhan, his second wife and their son - was booked by the police on Saturday for the murder of Parampreet Kaur.