Paris auction of Chandigarh heritage chairs put on hold after UT's diplomatic push, FIRs

In a major breakthrough for the protection of Chandigarh’s globally celebrated architectural legacy, the proposed auction of two Pierre Jeanneret-designed heritage chairs in Paris on June 25 has been put on hold following urgent diplomatic intervention by the Centre after the Chandigarh Administration raised the issue and registered two criminal cases over the suspected theft and illegal export of the furniture.

The development marks a historic first in the city’s long battle against the steady outflow of its modernist heritage. Never before has an overseas auction of Chandigarh’s heritage furniture been stalled following official intervention by the Administration.

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, who took cognisance of a series of The Tribune reports on the impending Paris auction and earlier sales in Brussels and Chicago, directed Chief Secretary H. Rajesh Prasad to act swiftly and firmly to prevent the sale, initiate legal action and explore all possible avenues for tracing and recovering Chandigarh’s heritage furniture already dispersed across international markets.

Confirming the development, Kataria told The Tribune that the Administration was committed to safeguarding Chandigarh’s unique heritage for future generations. “Chandigarh’s heritage furniture is not merely government property; it is an integral part of the city’s identity and India's cultural legacy. We will leave no stone unturned to protect it, prevent its illegal sale and pursue every possible avenue for the recovery of heritage items that have been taken out of the country unlawfully,” he said.

Chief Secretary Rajesh Prasad said the Administration had acted on a war footing after the matter came to light. “The successful postponement of the Paris auction demonstrates that timely and coordinated action can make a difference. We have initiated criminal investigations, sought diplomatic intervention and will continue pursuing all legal and administrative measures to establish provenance, fix accountability and facilitate recovery of heritage assets wherever possible,” he told The Tribune.

The breakthrough follows a strongly worded communication sent by the Administration’s Secretary, Culture, to the Ministry of External Affairs on June 23, a copy of which has been exclusively accessed by The Tribune. The letter described the proposed sale as a matter of “national and international cultural importance” and urged immediate intervention through the Indian Embassy in France and French authorities to stop the auction, preserve the furniture pending investigation and facilitate its eventual repatriation if found to have been unlawfully removed from India.

The Administration informed the Centre that the two chairs listed for auction carried original inventory markings — PU/Chem/55 and PGI/W/CH-0202 — clearly linking them to Panjab University and PGIMER, Chandigarh. It argued that the appearance of such marked government furniture in an overseas auction market raised serious concerns of theft, illegal removal, unauthorised disposal and unlawful export of heritage property.

Invoking Chandigarh’s UNESCO World Heritage status, the Administration stressed that furniture designed for the city’s public institutions formed an integral component of the original vision of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret and was inseparable from the heritage fabric of the City Beautiful. It further argued that any sale would be contrary to international norms governing stolen and illegally exported cultural property.

Significantly, the Administration also registered two FIRs on June 23 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, launching investigations into the suspected theft, illegal removal, export, sale and trafficking of the chairs — the first such criminal action in connection with the outflow of Chandigarh’s heritage furniture despite more than 100 international auctions since 2009.

In its letter, Chandigarh sought immediate suspension of the auction, preservation of the furniture pending ownership verification, assistance in establishing provenance records, recovery and repatriation of the items if found illegally exported, and identification of any other Chandigarh heritage furniture circulating through international markets.

The postponement of the Paris auction comes barely a week after seven Chandigarh heritage pieces were sold in Brussels for about Rs 1.6 crore despite advance representations to the Centre. It is being viewed by heritage conservationists as a watershed moment that could fundamentally alter the official response to the decades-long drain of Chandigarh’s iconic Jeanneret-era furniture into private collections and auction houses across Europe and North America.

For a city that has watched its heritage disappear piece by piece for nearly two decades, the halted Paris auction represents the first tangible success of a coordinated strategy combining diplomatic intervention, criminal investigation and administrative resolve.

Hailing the development, heritage activist Ajay Jagga, who has been raising the issue since long, said: “This is a watershed moment in Chandigarh's heritage conservation movement. For the first time, a government intervention has succeeded in stopping an international auction before the hammer could fall. The challenge now is to secure the return of these items and trace other heritage furniture that has left the country over the years.”

5 SALIENT FEATURES

• PARIS AUCTION HALTED — A FIRST The June 25 auction of two Pierre Jeanneret chairs in Paris has been put on hold following intervention by the Chandigarh Administration and the Centre — the first known instance of an overseas auction of Chandigarh heritage furniture being stalled.
• KATARIA’S DIRECT INTERVENTION Taking cognisance of The Tribune reports, Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria directed the Administration to act swiftly, register criminal cases, pursue diplomatic channels and explore ways to recover Chandigarh's lost heritage abroad.
• FIRs TRIGGER ACTION Two FIRs registered by Chandigarh Police on June 23 for suspected theft, illegal removal and export of heritage furniture paved the way for a stronger legal and diplomatic response.
• CENTRE MOVES ON CHANDIGARH’S SOS The Administration’s letter to the Ministry of External Affairs sought immediate suspension of the auction, verification of ownership, preservation of the furniture and eventual repatriation if illegally exported.
• FROM DAMAGE CONTROL TO RECOVERY MODE Beyond stopping the Paris sale, Chandigarh has, for the first time, initiated efforts to identify, trace and explore the return of heritage furniture already auctioned overseas over the past two decades.