Badlega India
Kohinoor, a priceless diamond that is part of a royal crown, was given to Britain and not stolen, the government on Monday told the Supreme Court, which is hearing a suit seeking its return.
Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the government, said, “India should not stake a claim to the famed Kohinoor diamond as it was neither stolen nor forcibly taken away.”
Kumar pointed out that this was the stand of the Culture Ministry. “Ministry of External Affairs is also a party and their response is yet to come,” he informed the court.
He also told the apex court that the Kohinoor diamond was handed over by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the East India Company. Singh in turn had taken it from an Afghan king who had sought sanctuary in India.
Chief Justice T.S. Thakur asked the Centre if it wants the case to be dismissed as they would face a problem in the future when putting forward any legitimate claim.
The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to file a detailed reply within six weeks. The apex court had on April 9 asked the Centre to disclose its stand on bringing back the diamond.
The apex court made this observation while hearing a petition filed by All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front.
The petition had said that the government was not putting any efforts to bring the diamond back. The Solicitor General said that he would seek an instruction from the government and then inform the court.
Here are some facts about Kohinoor diamond every Indian should know:
- Kohinoor is one of the oldest and most famous diamonds in the world.It was once the largest diamond in the world.
- The very first document that indicates the existence of the Kohinoor dates back to 1526 when the Indian conqueror Babur had it in his possession.
- In 1774, after Shah’s assassination, Ahmad Shah Durrani got possession of the diamond, which was then given to the founder of the Sikh empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh
- The diamond was, by force, made to be presented to Queen Victoria in 1850, by the Marquess of Dalhousie, the British governor-general of Punjab. The people have been demanding the return of the 105-carat stone for years.
- The diamond had been an heirloom of the Afghan monarchy and before then was in Persian royal hands, but its true origins remain a mystery.
- Its name translates as “Mountain of Light” and it is traditionally worn by a queen, it is said to bring bad luck to any man who wears it.
- In 1852, Queen Victoria decided to reshape the diamond and it was cut down to 108.93 carats. Before reshaping, the diamond weighted 793 carat.
- The weight of the diamond has subsequently been reduced over the centuries after it was cut several times. It now weighs around 105 carats only.
- In 1976 Britain refused a request to cede the diamond, citing the terms of the Anglo-Sikh peace treaty.
“I could not advise Her Majesty the Queen that it should be surrendered,” said Jim Callaghan, prime minister at the time.
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron is also not in mood of returning the diamond.
“If you say yes to one you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty,” he told an English news channel in 2010. “It is going to have to stay put.”
Everyone knows the history of India and how much wealth the country has given to the other countries or rather it has been taken away forcefully from the country. Some of the historical items India needs to get back include the manuscript of the history of Kashmir, Gandhi’s letters, the Peacock Throne, the Sultanganj Buddha, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s throne.
