The Supreme Court order cancelling allotment of a Salt Lake plot by former chief minister Jyoti Basu to then justice of Calcutta High Court Bhagabati Prasad Banerjee sent Writers? Buildings and Alimuddin Street into a tizzy on Friday.

Party leaders first received the news on Friday morning when a state secretariat meeting was about to start at the CPM headquarters. The issue was informally discussed at the meeting in Basu?s presence after former advocate-general Naranarayan Gooptu conveyed the gist of the apex court order.

Sources said some senior secretariat members appeared in favour of accepting the ruling without a fight. Others, however, felt the party should dwell on the matter, as it involved a leader of Basu?s stature. It was then decided that the CPM?s legal cell would dissect the court order after getting the full version from the former advocate-general.

At Writers?, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee held a series of meetings with urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya, law minister Nisith Adhikari and advocate-general Balai Ray. The urban development minister later described the order as ?a good judgment?.

Urban development secretary K.S. Rajendra Kumar was busy with the plot-allotment files. ?We have heard about the apex court order asking Justice Banerjee to hand over the plot to the government. We will abide by it and work out a procedure to implement it once our representatives return from Delhi on Monday,? he said.

Buoyed by the apex court judgment, mayor and Trinamul Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee said: ?This is a major setback for the CPM-led government in Bengal.?

Pradip Bhattacharya, Pradesh Congress Committee working president, said the order proved that the Basu government had ?indulged in malpractice?.

If Justice Banerjee can file a revision petition before the bench, the government has several options:

*It can accept the order in toto and go for public auction of Justice Banerjee?s building before taking possession

*It may allow any family member or relative of Justice Banerjee to take part in the auction

*It may go slow with the implementation of the Supreme Court order to help Justice Banerjee

*After taking over the plot, it may allot a new one to Justice Banerjee, probably in areas like New Town, Baishnabghata-Patuli or any other land owned by CMDA.