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<\/p>\nSotheby\u2019s auction was slated for May 7. What made India think it could attempt to get the relics back?<\/strong><\/p>\n I joined as the Culture Secretary on April 21 and the issue cropped up in the very first week. It was also raised by Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, when I called on him soon after joining. I gathered details, alerted the agencies concerned, including the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and started exploring legal options.<\/p>\n The relics included bone fragments, soapstone and crystal caskets, a sandstone coffer, gold ornaments and gemstones. A selection of gemstones were in Pepp\u00e9\u2019s possession that he took to Britain. His great-grandson Chris Pepp\u00e9 had put these up for auction.<\/p>\n What was the strategy?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I convened a high-level review meeting to frame a strategy. Earlier, Minister Shekhawat had raised the matter with Lisa Nandy, the UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, during a bilateral meeting. However, she expressed her government\u2019s inability to intervene.<\/p>\n The auction was scheduled for 10 am (Hong Kong time) on May 7. The challenge was formidable: the auction was outside India\u2019s legal jurisdiction, time was critically short, and the matter was deeply emotional for India.<\/p>\n We decided to serve a notice to Sotheby\u2019s Hong Kong that cited Indian laws and international conventions, including\u00a0UNESCO\u2019s\u00a01970 Convention and\u00a0UNIDROIT\u2019s\u00a01995 Convention (both support the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property). The notice also demanded immediate cessation of the auction, a public apology, full disclosure of all documentation and details of remaining items. It warned of global diplomatic repercussions in case of non-compliance.<\/p>\n Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n You joined the Culture Ministry after a few months as the director of India\u2019s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). Did that experience help?<\/strong><\/p>\n Leveraging my role as the FIU director, a notice for stopping the auction was issued under the EGMONT protocol (for the international FIU network) to FIU Hong Kong the same day. The External Affairs Ministry was also requested through its Europe West and East Asia divisions to ensure that embassies in the UK and Hong Kong followed up. Following intense pressure, Sotheby\u2019s joined us for a discussion on May 6.<\/p>\n Sotheby\u2019s\u00a0 allegedly argued that since the items had left India before Independence, we had no claim. What was our position?<\/strong><\/p>\n We explained the global momentum for repatriation of cultural heritage, besides emphasising that under Indian and international laws, the sacred\u00a0\u015bar\u012bra-dh\u0101tu<\/em>\u00a0(body relics) of the Buddha cannot be treated as objects for sale.<\/p>\n Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We made all possible efforts till late on May 6. Around 5 am (India time) on May 7, I got an e-mail from Sotheby\u2019s about the auction being postponed. It was a major relief.<\/p>\n But the real mission was to bring the relics home?<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the options we explored to secure their repatriation was public-private-partnership (PPP). Soon, Sotheby\u2019s was approached by Indian philanthropist Pirojsha Godrej, who wished to acquire these relics and return them to India. We had a tripartite meeting with Godrej, Sotheby\u2019s and Peppe\u2019s agent.<\/p>\n What were the financial details of the return? Did the Ministry put forward any conditions?<\/strong><\/p>\n Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I did not seek any financial details, but stressed the following:\u00a0The relics will be placed in the Indian government\u2019s possession. The relics will be inalienable, meaning that they cannot be sold in future or moved out of India without permission. Most relics will be at a government museum for display for five years and then moved to a museum established by Godrej.<\/p>\n What were the learnings for the government?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Soon after the MoU was signed, the Ministry received confirmation that Godrej had taken possession of the relics in Hong Kong. On July 30, the gem cases were ceremonially received at Palam airport by the Minister and myself. PM Modi called it \u201ca joyous moment\u201d for India\u2019s heritage. Throughout the process, the PM and his office provided guidance and approval, which resulted in historic repatriation under the PPP mode.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n