The I-T department has roped in known art house Saffronart to conduct the auction as an independent third-party auctuioneer. Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder and chief executive officer, Saffronart, too confirmed that the auction will go ahead. "We understand there has been a recent court order based on an application filed by the Income Tax Department, that does not restrict the auction from being conducted," Vazirani told mid-day.

The 68 paintings are valued at Rs 57.72 crore. They are part of 173 works the I-T department seized as part of its probe to recover dues of Rs 95.91 crore from Modi, the prime accused behind the R13,000-crore PNB scam, and who is now cooling his heels in England's most crowded jail at Wandsworth.

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The catalogue lists paintings by the likes of Jogen Chowdhury, Raja Ravi Varma, VS Gaitonde, FN Souza, Akbar Padamsee and Bhupen Khakhar, besides some contemporary Chinese paintings according to various reports. The next hearing in Modi's case will be at the Westminster Magistrates Court of Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot, who ordered Vijay Mallya's extradition in December.

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