Told that the Centre has informed the Supreme Court that the precious diamond was gifted by the successors of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to East India Company, he said, “As per our records, it was gifted”.
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This stand by Modi government left the Supreme Court judges somewhat surprised.
The apex court responded by warning them that this statement could boomerang and that they “will face a problem in the future for making any legitimate claim”.
The court asked the Central government whether it wants the case to be dismissed.
On April 8, the apex court had asked the government to clarify its stand on a PIL seeking return of Kohinoor diamond to India.
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.
The stone has been at the centre of a long-running diplomatic row, with many Indians demanding Britain return the diamond to atone for its colonial past.
The diamond was later set in a crown worn by the Queen’s mother, and is on public display in the Tower of London.
The Kohinoor diamond. File photo.
If Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, eventually becomes queen consort, she will don the crown holding the diamond on official occasions. Perhaps because of the bloody fates of its many previous owners Kohinoor, which means Mountain of Light, came to be feared as “cursed” for any man who wears it.
During Babur’s reign, the diamond resurfaced again and got both, its name – the Koh-i-noor – and its fame, after it was embedded in the famous peacock throne.
David Cameron has also said he would oppose returning the diamond.
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The Indian government, believing the gem was rightfully theirs, made the first demand for the return of the Kohinoor diamond soon after independence. “I am afraid to say, it is going to have to stay put”.
