Bombay High Court Halts Auction of 17 Ancient Jain Idols Worth Rs 94.50 Lakh

The Bombay High Court has intervened to halt the auction of 17 valuable ancient Jain idols, collectively worth Rs 94.50 lakh. The artifacts, originally slated for online auction and sale by Farokh Todywalla of Todywalla Auctions, were subject to legal action following petitions from businessman Ashok Salecha and the Shree Mumbai Jain Sangh Sangathan.

The matter was presented before Justices Girish Kulkarni and Firdosh Pooniwalla. Todywalla provided assurance that the ancient Jain idols would not undergo immediate auction. Consequently, the court instructed the state government to clarify its stance via an affidavit. Concerns arose regarding the actions of the auctioneer, prompting the court to seek elucidation from the government.

Earlier, devout Jain followers who worship idols of Tirthankaras and Jain deities demanded that these ancient artifacts not be sold in a special auction. They insisted the idols be made available for Jain devotees' worship.

The petitioners initially approached the auctioneers who assured them on April 3 that the idols would not be sold. However, they later discovered the auctioneers' intentions to proceed with the auction. Consequently, they sent a legal notice on April 6 seeking written confirmation. As no response was received, the petitioners approached the High Court.

The petitioners have appealed to the Union government and the superintendent archaeologist of the Archaeological Survey of India, Western Region, to intervene and halt the auction and sale of the ancient idols. They argue that selling these sacred artifacts violates the fundamental rights of millions of Jain followers.

Moreover, the petitioners argue that it is the responsibility of the central government and the Archaeological Survey of India to preserve and make available ancient Jain artifacts to their followers. Therefore, they have requested the Western Region Director of Archaeology and the Chief Archaeologist of the Indian Archaeological Survey to take custody of these ancient idols and halt their auction and sale, as requested in the petition.