The hearing of Amartya Sen’s plea to transfer the leasehold of 1.38 acres of his ancestral home Pratichi in his name as the property’s legal heir turned into an hour-long stormy argument between the lawyers of the Nobel laureate economist and Visva-Bharati at the Bolpur land and land reforms office on Monday.

Sources said Sen’s lawyer submitted a will by the economist’s father Ashutosh Sen to establish him as the legal heir of the leasehold property in support of the plea for the transfer of Pratichi land.

The will clearly states Sen would be the legal heir of the leasehold property after his parents’ demise.

“According to the state government’s land record, Ashutosh Sen is the long-term lessee. Our plea was only to replace the name with Amartya Sen as Ashutosh Sen’s legal heir, nothing to do with the amount of land,” said Sen’s advocate Gorachand Chakraborty.

Sen on February 10 sent a letter to the block land and land reforms officer of Bolpur, requesting him to transfer the leasehold of 1.38 acres in his name as legal heir and lessee. Visva-Bharati objected, pointing out that transfer of rights of only a stretch of 1.25 acres leased out to the Sen family could be done.

The varsity submitted a copy of Ashutosh Sen’s lease deed to justify its demand.

“We submitted all relevant documents to establish our point of objection to the plea by Amartya Sen. The stretch of 1.25 acres can only be transferred in his (Sen) name by the land department. The law does not permit transferring the leasehold of 1.38 acres,” said Visva-Bharati lawyer Sucharita Biswas after the hearing.

However, sources in the state land department said Sen’s plea is likely to be accepted because Visva-Bharati could not deny he was the legal heir.

“Visva-Bharati’s argument is with the amount of the land leased out. According to departmental records, Ashutosh Sen is the lessee of 1.38 acres, not 1.25 acres. During the hearing, Visva-Bharati claimed land records available with the state government were incorrect. In that case, it can appeal for correction with proper documents at the land directorate. But this plea is a different matter, and can’t come in the way of Sen’s appeal (for transfer of leasehold from father to son),” said a senior land official.

“We can transfer the leasehold of 1.38 acres in Sen’s name. If records are rectified, the land sum in the leasehold will be changed,” he said.

Visva-Bharati sought another hearing before transferring the leasehold in Sen’s name. The block land and land reforms office is yet to announce it.