Observing that the coins donated to the Mumbai University (MU) had “history and culture associated with them”, the Bombay High Court has directed Dinesh Mody, a senior Supreme Court lawyer and a prominent numismatist, to file an affidavit stating whether he auctioned any of those coins which he had donated in 2005. Mody had donated around 25,000 coins to establish a museum at the university. 

A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar has also asked Mody to file affidavit giving details of coins with their correct description and also submit the coins in his possession with the Prothonotary of the high court, who in turn has been directed to keep the same in safe custody.

The HC was hearing a PIL by Farokh Todywalla, a fellow numismatist and president of the Mumbai Coin Society, who alleged that despite donating the coins to MU, Mody illegally auctioned some of them. Mody has contended that 2,000 are currently displayed in the MU museum due to space constraints. He emphasised that the balance coins are safely with him.

The bench said preservation of the coins with the museum was important for its historical and cultural value. “The coins, which are supposed to be kept in a museum in safe and secure custody, do not carry with themselves only the value of the metal they are made of. Rather these coins carry history and culture associated with them. Because the coins are articles of antiquity, are sometimes sold at a very heavy price. The concern raised in the petition has to be viewed seriously,” the bench said. 

The plea highlighted the apathy on part of the authorities of MU that led to siphoning of its own property in the form of coins. 

Expressing displeasure over the inaction by the MU over the years, the HC said that nothing concrete has been done for all these years by the authorities of varsity. “Once the coins were donated to the Mumbai university by Respondent number 4 (Mody) as per agreement, the coins became property of MU, which were to be preserved and protected not only for its value in the market but also for ita academic value and also as an object of further study / research etc. in various branches of history, including archaeology,” the bench underlined. 

Apart from Mody, the HC has asked the auctioneer to file an affidavit disclosing the details of any coins sold and to deposit any remaining coins with the court. The HC has kept the matter for hearing on November 13.