Judgment

S.B. Sinha, J.—Leave granted.

Introductory Remarks :

The Appellants herein are residents of Santiniketan in the District of Birbhum of the State of West Bengal.

2. Visva Bharati University (University) was conceived and established by Rabindranath Tagore, the great poet, story writer, song composer, playwright, essayist, painter, educationalist and Nobel Laureate, on 23rd December, 1921.

3. An environment ambiance had all along been maintained in consonance with the ideals of Tagore and for which the same was established.

The Act :

4. The Parliament with a view to preserve and protect the uniqueness, tradition and special features of the said University, in exercise of its legislative power conferred on it under Entry 63, List I of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India enacted The Visva-Bharati Act, 1951 (the Act) declaring it to be an institution of national importance. The University was constituted as an unitary, teaching and residential University with a view to preserve the tradition and special features of the institution, as would appear from its Statements of Objects and Reasons which are as under:

“The Visva-Bharati founded by Dr. Rabindranath Tagore at Santik