The Kohinoor diamond, which is a part of Queen Elizabeth's crown, has been reclaimed from an Indian NGO to be brought back to India. However, the British government has stated that the diamond was given to the kingdom as a gift.
The Indian NGO, All India Human Rights & Social Justice Front, filed a demand seeking directions to the High Commissioner of the UK to return the diamond, along with other treasures. The filing claimed that the legendary diamond and other treasures in question was stolen from India.
For many years, different agencies from India has been trying to claim the Kohinoor diamond and other treasures. The diamond, which is considered as one of the most valuable diamonds in the world, is believed to have come from the Kollur Mine in the Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh in India where it was mined 800 years ago, as noted by One India.
Through a series of transactions, the diamond ended up as British possession for more than 150 years now. India is not the only country that has tried to claim the jewel. Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban regime are among parties that have tried to claim the diamond.
The jewel was known to have belonged to the Sikh ruler, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. According to The Times of India, the diamond was handed over as a gift from Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the East India Company. The argument was expressed by Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar appearing for the government at the hearing held by the Supreme Court on Monday.
Solicitor General Kumar then explained that in 1850, the Marquess of Dalhousie, the British governor-general of Punjab, forced Maharaja Ranjit Singh to give the diamond to Queen Victoria as a gift. "It was given voluntarily by Ranjit Singh to the British as compensation for help in the Sikh Wars. The Koh-i-Noor is not a stolen object," he told the court, as quoted by The Economic Times. Furthermore, he said that the response of the Ministry of External Affairs is yet to come regarding this issue.
On the Monday hearing, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to file a detailed reply within six weeks. Previously, the British government had already rejected demands for the Kohinoor's return in 2013.
India's Solicitor General stated that the Kohinoor diamond is not a stolen object but a gift given to the British. That means India should not reclaim the 108-carat gem which has been in British possession for 150 years and has been a part of Queen Elizabeth's crown.
