Chandigarh Body Urges Vice-President to Halt US Auction of Panjab University Furniture

The Chandigarh Administration’s Heritage Items Protection Cell (HIPC) has asked Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan to intervene in a proposed auction of Panjab University (PU) heritage furniture in the United States. The auction is scheduled for August 13, 2026.

Advocate Ajay Jagga, a member of HIPC, sent a letter to the Vice-President, who also serves as the Chancellor of Panjab University. The letter highlighted that a Chicago-based auction house has listed heritage items from PU. Among the items are a set of eight dining chairs, identified as student residence chairs, with an estimated value between $12,000 and $15,000. Additionally, a writing chair from the university is listed with an estimated price of $3,000 to $4,000.

Jagga emphasized that PU, as a national institution, has a responsibility to protect its heritage. He urged the university to formally object to the auction to prevent the loss of Indian institutional heritage and to potentially facilitate its return. The letter also called for an investigation into how and by whom the university's heritage items were sold and transported to the U.S. for sale, noting a Ministry of Home Affairs ban on such transactions.

The representation was filed citing Article 51A(f) of the Indian Constitution, which obligates citizens to preserve India's cultural heritage, and Article 49, concerning the protection of national importance objects.