Visva-Bharati in an order issued late on Wednesday night asked Amartya Sen to vacate within 15 days from the date of the diktat or May 6, whichever was later, the 13 decimals of land, which according to it is under the “illegal occupation” of the Nobel laureate.

“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred on me under sub-section (1) of Section 5 of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, I hereby order the said Sri Amartya Kumar Sen S/o late Ashutosh Sen and all persons, who may be in occupation of the said premises or any part thereof to vacate the said premises within 15 days of the date of publication of this order, or within 06th May 2023, whichever is later,” read the six-page letter issued by Visva-Bharati estate officer Ashok Mahato.

In the event of "refusal or failure to comply with this order within the period specified", Sen "and all persons concerned" are "liable to be evicted from the said premises, if need be, by use of such force as may be necessary”, the letter added.

It also explained why Mahato was “satisfied” with the inquiry that 13 decimals were under Sen’s “unauthorised occupation".

The order was based on a legal process that the varsity started last month in a bid to evict Sen from the 13 decimals of the 1.38-acre premises of Pratichi, Sen's ancestral home in Santiniketan.

Sen, currently in the US, is scheduled to come to Santiniketan in June. A source close to him said they would take legal steps against the order.