KOLKATA: Alleging discrepancies over the appointment and extension of term of Visva-Bharti
University acting Vice-Chancellor Sabujkali Sen, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Calcutta High Court in demanding a permanent VC in the university established by Rabindranath Tagore.
Though the PIL was filed on February 5 against appointment of 45 members of the university demanding a permanent vice-chancellor, appellant Arun Kumar Chakraborty said he will file an amendment affidavit to the PIL next week against the appointment of Sabujkali Sen.
Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, advocate Pragya Bhowmick said that the appointment of Sabujkali Sen is illegal as her tenure as director ended in February this year and the same was
suggested by a fact finding committee formed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. “Visva-Bharati Statue 3(6) proviso states that in absence of any director, the senior-most person of a Bhavan and in the rank of a professor shall officiate as acting vice-chancellor. But contrary to that statutory provision, the present incumbent was appointment as acting VC,” she said.
“The minutes of emergent meeting of the Executive Committee held on February 17 was manipulated and misrepresented. A three-member fact finding committee formed by the HRD ministry was formed on
February 11 and the committee submitted report on April 26. It found that Sabujkali Sen was not eligible to be the acting vice-chancellor,” she added.
President’s nominee on Visva-Bharati Executive Council member Susovon Banerjee, who
chaired the meeting on February 17, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ramnath Kovind on May 5 alleging that Sabujkali Sen forged ‘agenda number two’ in the meeting over extension of term of the acting vice-chancellor.
“This is unprecedented in the history of Visva-Bharati and the appointment of the very VC is being questioned. We want strict implementation of the provisions of law and appointment of a permanent VC,”
petitioner Arun Chakraborty said.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, acting VC Sabujkali Sen said: “The allegations of forging minutes of meeting are false. As far as PIL against me is concerned, I will look into it when it is filed.”