HONG KONG (AP) — Sotheby's on Wednesday elected to postpone a forthcoming auction of jewels purportedly associated with Buddhist relics, a decision precipitated by vociferous opposition and a formal demand for its cessation from the Indian government.

The auction house declared the trove of gemological specimens, unearthed in 1898 alongside corporeal relics of the historical Buddha within reliquaries in northern India, to be slated for auction, positing their provenance as dating from approximately 240-200 BC.

However, the Indian Ministry of Culture announced via a Facebook dispatch on Tuesday that it had dispatched a legal missive to Sotheby's Hong Kong, necessitating the immediate cessation of the auction, alleging the sale constituted a breach of "Indian statutes, international protocols, and UN covenants."

In its missive to Sotheby’s Hong Kong, disseminated via Facebook and bearing Monday's date, the entity asserted that the impending auction encompasses consecrated Buddhist artefacts, which fundamentally represent the inalienable religious and cultural patrimony of both India and the wider global Buddhist fraternity; it consequently issued a categorical demand for the immediate repatriation of said relics to the Indian government and a public act of contrition from both the auction house and Chris Peppé.

Peppé's lineage traces back to the British William Peppé, an individual of considerable repute for his archaeological undertaking involving the excavation of the relics.

The Indian government, in its communication, issued a stern admonition that non-compliance would inevitably precipitate judicial recourse and widespread public denouncement campaigns underscoring the auction house's complicity "in the perpetuation of colonial inequities and its alignment with the morally reprehensible commodification of sacred artifacts."

Sotheby's formally declared the deferral via a statement on Wednesday, giving due recognition to the issues brought to the fore by the Indian authorities and affirming the action was taken with the concurrence of the consignors.

"This interlocution facilitates an exchange between the principals, and we anticipate disseminating pertinent developments as circumstances dictate," it posited.

As of Wednesday, a number of Sotheby's digital interfaces pertaining to the auction had been rendered unavailable.

The Indian Ministry of Culture disseminated via Facebook on Wednesday that it was "pleased to apprise" of the auction's deferment following its intervention.