Shimla, Jan. 9 -- After the Himachal Pradesh high court sought a status report on the ordinance extending the tenure of Shimla mayor and deputy mayor's to five years, while imposing a "conditional cost" of Rs.50,000 on the state, Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday sought resignation of Shimla mayor.

The HC division bench of chief justice GS Sandhawalia and justice Jiya Lal Bhardwaj, while hearing a PIL, had directed the state to file a status report, after the petitioner's counsel had submitted that ordinance granting extension was lapsing on January 6.

Calling it a "major setback" for the government, BJP state spokesperson Sandeepni Bhardwaj said the court's observations exposed the Congress regime's "arbitrary and unconstitutional" de...