Kolkata, March 2 (IANS) In an unprecedented order, the Calcutta High Court Friday sentenced the West Bengal Director General of Police, a legislator and two top district administration officers of Jalpaiguri to six months' in jail for contempt of court.

Anup Bhushan Bhora, the state's Director General of Police (DGP), Jalpaiguri district magistrate (DM) and the district's police superintendent (SP) were sentenced to imprisonment for contempt of court.

Congress representative in the West Bengal Assembly from Jalpaiguri, Debaprasad Roy, and 14 others, were also sentenced to the same term.

The court gave a 21-day stay order on the implementation of the sentence to enable the guilty to appeal the verdict in the supreme court.

In its ruling, the bench cited the "unprecedented breakdown of constitutional machinery" in the district for one month from Dec 15, 2006, to Jan 15, 2007 when no court was able to function.

Court in the district was totally paralysed for a month in the wake of an agitation by local people and lawyers who boycotted the court and stopped its functioning to press their demand for a circuit bench of the high court in Jalpaiguri.

The court said in its suo motu ruling, "In the past 57 years since the country has a constitution, nowhere has it been violated like this", lawyer Kalyan Bandhopadhyaya quoted it as saying.

The division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice K.K. Parasad gave the verdict against the DGP and other officials for their responsibility in the "constitutional breakdown" in Jalpaiguri.

The court also imposed a penalty of Rs.2,000 each on the DGP, DM, SP and another police officer or another month in jail in case of default.

"We will appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court," said West Bengal Law Minister Robilal Moitra.

Following the verdict, an emergency meeting was held in West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's room at state secretariat Writers' Building with Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb, Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy and Law Minister Rabilal Moitra, besides the convicted DGP.