After court nod, Ravi Varma paintings to go under hammer

The direction was issued by a division bench comprising justices C N Ramachandran Nair and B P Ray on a petition filed by advocate Archana Narayanan challenging the auction by Bid and Hammer Auctioneers Private Ltd.

The bench clarified that the sale would be subject to the result of the petition.
The court also directed the auction house to file statement regarding ownership and justifying the sale of the paintings.

According to the petitioner, only 'Jatayu Vadham', one of the three works meant for auction, was the original Ravi Varma painting and the rest being auctioned under the guise of original paintings.|

Earlier, the family trust of the artist had sent a representation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit against the proposed auction of paintings and to stop it.

In the representation, K R Rama Varma Thampuran, joint secretary of Kilimanoor Palace Trust, had said the paintings of such a great artist being put in auction conducted by private auction house was a 'slur' on the revered memory of the celebrated painter.