Dr Mukhi's application for one-year-long leave reached the college today. The former finance minister of the Delhi government is a reader in the college's prestigious commerce faculty. Sahib Singh, who rejoined the evening college as librarian yesterday, absented himself from work today.

Though the college commences at 2 pm, till as late as 4.30 pm neither the library staff nor the college administration knew where their VIP librarian was and whether he would be coming. A college official called The Indian Express office late in the evening to say that Sahib Singh's leave application reached them.``He has asked for two days casual leave and he is entitled to it,'' he added.

Dr Shastri, a reader in the history department, defeated Delhi's former transport minister Dr Rajendra Gupta last week. He is on leave till December 5.

S C Prashar, section officer in the administration branch of Bhagat Singh college, told The Indian Express that Dr Mukhi's application seeking a year-long leave had reached the college this morning. ``But the governing body of the college will decide whether Dr Mukhi can be given leave again. Actually he has already taken a five-year-long leave (without pay) when he was elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and became the finance minister. If the governing body decides to give him leave, then it is okay, otherwise he will either have to rejoin or resign,'' Prashar added.

The college administration also said that Dr Shastri was entitled to the five-year-long leave in case he wanted to take it. His current leave period ends on December 5.

But there appearsto be no tussle for the new chair Sahib Singh occupies. Yesterday afternoon he submitted his joining report, met former colleagues and new students. Poonam Choudhary, who was looking after the librarian's job for the last five years that Sahib Singh was away, told The Indian Express that she had now been reverted to her original post of assistant librarian. ``I shall continue to assist him and look after student welfare in his absence,'' she said.

Students in Singh's library are, however, not impressed with their high-profile librarian. ``This is just a political stunt. Yesterday too his staff kept looking out for reporters and photographers. He has little work in Delhi so he joined and if he ever makes it to the Union Cabinet he will leave. Anyway because we will not have any direct contact with him it will not affect us much,'' said Siddharth, a II year B Com evening college student.