A court at Suri in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on August 8 stayed the eviction notice issued by Visva Bharati University to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. The Central university administration had on April 19 issued an order asking Professor Sen to vacate within 15 days 13 decimals of land on which his ancestral house ‘Pratichi’ is built, which according to the university is under “illegal occupation” by the Nobel Laureate.
The matter will come up for hearing again on September 16, and till then there will be stay on the eviction notice.
The Visva Bharati University is likely to approach the Calcutta High Court over the matter.
Earlier, Professor Sen had moved the High Court, which had granted him interim stay against a move by the Visva Bharati University till the court in Suri decides the matter. Professor Sen had maintained that Rathindranath Tagore had given 1.38 acre of land on a lease of 99 years to his father Ashutosh Sen in October 1943.
Political parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Congress, had come out in support of Professor Sen, alleging that the university was targeting the economist, who has been critical of the policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also come out openly in support of Professor Sen. Ms. Banerjee in January this year met the economist at his Santiniketan residence and handed over land documents to him.
The West Bengal CM has said that she would participate in protests if the university tried to “snatch away the piece of land”. Ms. Banerjee had directed party leaders to protest against the University outside Prof. Sen’s house in May this year.
