Tycoon buys Gandhi glasses

Vijay Mallya, who is often referred to as India's Richard Branson, secured the items - which include Gandhi's sandals, spectacles, bowl and a pocket watch - in a New York auction last night.

His representative at the auction, Tony Bedi, said Mr Mallya, 53, felt the personal belongings of the hero of India's independence "belonged to India" and added: "I am sure all Indians will be pleased that these Gandhi items will be coming home."

Gandhi was assassinated in 1948, aged 78, and Mr Mallya, whose companies include Kingfisher Airlines and Whyte & Mackay whisky, will now hand the items over to the Indian government.

India's culture minister, Ambika Soni, said today: "The government was able to procure the Mahatma's belongings through the services of Vijay Mallya, who was in touch with us, and whose representative was in touch with our mission in the US."

Gandhi's great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, spoke of his "relief and delight" that the round wire-rimmed spectacles, worn leather sandals, pocket watch, plate and bowl would be repatriated, and said they belonged in a museum.

The 49-year-old, who runs the Mumbai-based Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, said he felt "relief that they have been secured for India and delight they will come back to India and be available for generations of Indians to see".

He added: "I think the right place for them should be in the Gandhi National Museum in Delhi because that's a museum which was created to keep and safeguard Gandhi memorabilia after his death."

The auction was held at New York's Antiquorum Auctioneers amid dramatic scenes. Within seconds Antiquorum's opening price for the five items of $20,000-$30,000 (£14,000-£21,000) shot up to half a million dollars, and then kept climbing rapidly.

Other bidders included American hotelier Sant-Singh Chatwal.

The auction went ahead despite a diplomatic dispute, including an injunction from the Delhi High Court seeking to halt the sale.

The seller, collector and peace activist James Otis, had said that he would withdraw the belongings from sale and donate them to India if the country would pledge to increase spending on the poor by $50billion dollars. But Indian junior foreign minister Anand Sharma rejected the proposal saying the terms were not acceptable. Mr Otis also said proceeds of the sale would go to groups advocating Gandhi's philosophy of pacifism and non-violence.

Mr Mallya, who recently rebuffed a bid by Manchester United to be their new shirt sponsor, says he is passionate about repatriating India's heritage.

At an auction in London in September 2003, he bought the sword of Tipu Sultan, who ruled the kingdom of Mysore in southern India in the late 18th century.