Sotheby's postpones auction of jewels linked to Buddha after backlash in India
The gems were found buried together in reliquaries with the corporeal relics of the historical Buddha and discovered in northern India in 1898, the auction house said. They dated back to around 240-200 BC, it added.
Advertisement
But India's ministry of culture said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that it had issued a legal notice to Sotheby's Hong Kong to demand the immediate halt of the sale, accusing the auction of violating 'Indian laws, international norms and UN conventions'.
The gems were excavated by British man William Peppe (Sotheby's via AP)
In its letter to Sotheby's Hong Kong dated Monday, posted on Facebook, it said the auction involved sacred Buddhist relics that constituted the inalienable religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community. It demanded the repatriation of the relics to the Indian government and a public apology from the auction house and Chris Peppe.
Mr Peppe is a great-grandson of British man William Peppe, who excavated the relics.
The Indian government warned in the letter that failure to comply would result in legal actions and public advocacy campaigns highlighting the auction house's role 'in perpetuating colonial injustice and becoming a party to unethical sale of religious relics'.
Advertisement
India's ministry of culture demanded the repatriation of the relics to the Indian government (Sotheby's via AP)
Sotheby's announced the postponement in a statement on Wednesday, acknowledging the matters raised by the Indian government and saying it was done with the agreement of the consignors.
'This will allow for discussions between the parties, and we look forward to sharing any updates as appropriate,' it said.
Some of Sotheby's webpages about the auction were no longer available on Wednesday.
The Indian ministry of culture said on Facebook on Wednesday that it was 'pleased to inform' that the auction had been postponed after its intervention.
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
29 minutes ago
- Reuters
Air India audit finds 51 safety lapses, from unapproved simulators to training gaps
NEW DELHI, July 29 (Reuters) - India's aviation watchdog found 51 safety lapses at Air India in its July audit, including lack of adequate training for some pilots, use of unapproved simulators and a poor rostering system, according to a government report seen by Reuters. The annual audit was not related to the deadly Boeing 787 crash last month that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad, but its findings come as the airline faces renewed scrutiny after the accident. The Tata Group-owned airline is already facing warning notices for running planes without checking emergency equipment, not changing engine parts in time and forging records, along with other lapses related to crew fatigue management. The 11-page confidential audit report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) noted seven "Level I" significant breaches which need to be fixed by July 30, and 44 other non-compliances classified which need to be resolved by August 23. Officials said they found "recurrent training gaps" for some unspecified Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 787 and 777 pilots, saying they had not completed their monitoring duties - where they don't fly but observe functioning of instruments in the cockpit - ahead of mandatory periodic evaluations. Air India's fleet includes 34 Boeing 787s and 23 Boeing 777s, according to Flightradar24 website. Flagging operational and safety risks, officials wrote in their report that Air India did not do "proper route assessments" for some so-called Category C airports - which may have challenging layouts or terrain - and conducted training for such airfields with simulators that did not meet qualification standards. "This may account to non-consideration of safety risks during approaches to challenging airports," the DGCA audit report said. In a statement to Reuters, Air India said it was "fully transparent" during the audit. It added it will "submit our response to the regulator within the stipulated time frame, along with the details of the corrective actions." A preliminary report into the June crash found that the fuel control switches were flipped almost simultaneously after takeoff and there was pilot confusion in the cockpit. One pilot asked the other why he cut off the fuel and the other responded that he hadn't done so, the report said. The DGCA has often flagged concerns about Air India pilots breaching the limits of their flight-duty periods, and the audit report said an AI-787 Milan-New Delhi flight last month exceeded the limit by 2 hours and 18 minutes, calling it a "Level I" non-compliance. The audit was conducted by 10 DGCA inspectors, and included another four auditors. It also criticized the airline's rostering system, which it said "doesn't give a hard alert" if a minimum number of crew members were not being deployed on a flight, adding that at least four international flights had flown with insufficient cabin crew. Tata acquired Air India from the government in 2022. While it has aggressively expanded its international network, it faces persistent complaints from passengers, who often take to social media to show soiled seats, broken armrests, non-operational entertainment systems and dirty cabin areas. Reuters reported last week that Air India's senior executives, including the airline's director of flight operations and its director of training, were sent notices on July 23 flagging 29 "systemic" lapses, pulling up the airline for ignoring "repeated" warnings. Air India has said it will respond to the regulator. The audit report noted that "door checks and equipment checks" showed inconsistency with procedures and there were gaps in training documentation. Further, it said no chief pilots were assigned for Airbus ( opens new tab A320 and A350 fleet. "This results in a lack of accountability, and effective monitoring of flight operations for these aircraft types," the report said. Last year, authorities warned or fined airlines in 23 instances for safety violations, with 11 involving the Air India Group. The biggest fine was $127,000 on Air India for "insufficient oxygen on board" during some international flights.
Reuters
29 minutes ago
- Reuters
Indian e-cab provider BluSmart enters insolvency amid corporate governance challenges
July 29 (Reuters) - Indian electric cab firm BluSmart has entered insolvency, an order from a company law tribunal showed, amid mounting corporate governance issues after a regulatory probe alleged its co-founder diverted funds meant for vehicle purchases. BluSmart suspended operations in April after India's market regulator barred co-founder Anmol Jaggi from the securities market. The ban followed allegations that Jaggi diverted funds from his publicly listed affiliate, Gensol ( opens new tab, for personal use—including the purchase of a $5 million luxury apartment and a golf set worth $30,379. The National Company Law Tribunal admitted insolvency proceedings against BluSmart, following a petition filed by financial creditor Catalyst Trusteeship on May 13, according to the tribunal's order dated July 28. The creditor alleged that BluSmart defaulted on multiple payments totaling 12.8 million rupees (around $147,500), saying it had received no response or repayment from the company, the order showed. In response, BluSmart argued that the petition was premature. The tribunal also noted that the company's principal debt exceeded 10 million rupees, the threshold over which the corporate insolvency resolution process can be initiated. It appointed NPV Insolvency Professionals as the interim resolution professional to oversee proceedings. It also stated that insolvency would take effect from the date of the order, marking the formal start of creditor claims, asset evaluation, and potential restructuring or liquidation under the insolvency and bankruptcy code. ($1 = 86.7810 Indian rupees)
Reuters
29 minutes ago
- Reuters
Rupee falls to near 87 per dollar as trade uncertainty, outflows persist
MUMBAI, July 29 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee remained under pressure on Tuesday, as dollar demand from importers and weakness in foreign portfolio flows continued to drag it towards the 87 to the U.S. dollar mark, its weakest level since March. The rupee hit a four-month low of 86.9150 against the U.S. dollar before closing at 86.8150, down 0.2% on the day. Over the last 15 sessions, the rupee has closed stronger only twice. Traders and FX sales executives attribute the weakness to uncertainty over U.S.-India trade negotiations, weak portfolio flows and dollar demand from importers. While exporters were active near 86.50 last week, the next bout of dollar-selling interest is likely around 87-87.10 levels, a salesperson at a large foreign bank said. The risk of the rupee coming under further pressure will be among the considerations for the Reserve Bank of India at its upcoming policy review next week, economists at BofA Global Research said in a note. They expect the central bank to keep rates unchanged and "observe transmission of existing cuts and measures, before choosing the future course of action." On the day, the dollar index fleetingly rose to the 99 handle as the euro fell to a one-month low, with investors sobering up to the fact that terms of the trade deal between the U.S. and the European Union favoured the former. Asian currencies were steady to modestly weaker, with the Indonesian rupiah leading losses. The rupee and the Indonesian rupiah are among the worst performing regional currencies this year, down over 1% each. Globally, investors' focus is on the Federal Reserve's policy decision, due on Wednesday. The Fed is widely expected to keep rates unchanged but commentary from Chair Powell and whether the decision is unanimous will be in focus for investors to gauge the potential for future cuts.
