The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Kolkata): Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen emerged victorious in a legal dispute with Visva-Bharati University, as a district court in Birbhum, West Bengal, dismissed the university’s eviction notice against him. The dispute centered around a 13-decimal land parcel within the university campus.
In April of the previous year, Sen had taken legal action following the issuance of an eviction notice by the university authorities. The university had accused Sen of illegally occupying a portion of the land. The court’s recent judgment nullified the university’s eviction notice, ruling in favor of Sen. There has been no immediate response from the Visva-Bharati authorities regarding the court order.
Sen’s counsel expressed relief and satisfaction at the court’s decision, noting that the eviction notice lacked a factual basis. The land dispute dates back to allegations made by the then Vice Chancellor of Visva-Bharati University, Bidyut Chakraborty, who accused Sen of unlawfully occupying 1.38 acres of land, exceeding his legal entitlement of 1.25 acres.
Sen contested these allegations, asserting that the original 1.25 acres were gifted to his grandfather, Kshitimohan Sen, the second Vice Chancellor of Visva-Bharati University. His father, Asutosh Sen, also a professor at the university, later acquired the additional 13 decimals of land in question.
In a recent move, the West Bengal government transferred the leasehold rights of the entire 1.38 acres of land to Sen, bolstering his position against any potential eviction efforts by the university.
This court ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing dispute, affirming Amartya Sen’s claim over the land and reflecting the legal complexities surrounding property rights within educational institutions.