Sen officiating as Visva Bharati VC
Visva Bharati - PC : Afaindia
Sabujkali Sen is discharging the responsibility as vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati as the ministry of human resources development is yet to appoint a full-term VC of the institution.

Sen told PTI today that she was still discharging responsibility and had no intimation about who will be the next VC of the central university.

"I am discharging my responsibility as of now till a new VC is appointed." 

As per the University Act and Statute, the seniormost principal of a Visva-Bharati institution will automatically take charge as officiating VC.

But the HRD ministry's letter of February 3 had assigned Sen the charge of VC and stated that she would be at the helm till the appointment of a new VC.

Sen's term as the director of 'Studies Educational Innovations and Rural Reconstruction' of Visva-Bharati had expired on February 24.

To a question whether there would be any technical hurdle due to the expiry of her term as the director of a department of Visva-Bharati two days ago, Sen declined to comment.

A senior Visva-Bharati official said the institution is yet to nominate two members to a Search Committee for selecting a new vice-chancellor for the varsity as asked by the HRD ministry on February 23. The HRD ministry sent the mail after the President of India disbanded the previous Search Committee for appointing the VC.

The Executive Council and Court (another university body) will nominate one name each in their respective meetings to the Search Committee, which will forward the same to MHRD for selecting one name, the official said adding the meetings were yet to take place.

The central university has been functioning without a fulltime VC for the last two years after the then Vice-chancellor Sushanta Dattagupta was dismissed from the central university in February 2016.