India says Koh-i-Noor diamond belongs to Britain
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NEW DELHI: The priceless Koh-i-Noor, which is a part of Queen Elizabeth's crown, was given to Britain and not stolen, India's government on Monday told the Supreme Court, which is hearing a suit seeking its return.
The 108-carat Koh-i-Noor gem, which came into British hands during the colonial era, is the subject of a historic ownership dispute and has been claimed by at least four countries including Pakistan and India.
But India's Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar said the 19th-century Sikh king Ranjit Singh had given the stone to the British.
Related: Bhutto approached UK over Kohinoor: documents
“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 Supreme Court.
The court was hearing a suit filed by the All India Human Rights & Social Justice Front, a non-governmental organisation, seeking the diamond's return.
It asked the solicitor general to file an affidavit giving the government's stance on the issue.
The stone was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850 after the Anglo-Sikh wars in which Britain gained control of the Sikh empire of the Punjab, which is now split between Pakistan and India.
Singh in turn had taken it from an Afghan king who had sought sanctuary in India.
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 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.
It must be mentioned here that Pakistan has never backtracked from its claim over the gem and the Lahore High Court is regularly hearing a petition filed by a lawyer, who maintains that Queen Elizabeth has no right to have the Koh-i-Noor diamond as it was a cultural heritage of Punjab and its citizens owned it.
Earlier this month, LHC reserved its verdict on the case and maintainability of the petition.
Related: Verdict reserved on maintainability of Koh-i-Noor plea
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (84) Closed
Apr 18, 2016 03:05pm
cultural heritage of punjab ??
now go get it from british
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Apr 18, 2016 03:05pm
Highly reasonable & amicable solution for an un-necessary & never ending debate!!.. In today's times, we have 100s of other important & strategic things to discuss with Britain.
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Apr 18, 2016 03:10pm
Due to recent visit of Prince and Princes.
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Apr 18, 2016 03:18pm
London is the world's capital and attracts more tourist than any other city of the world. Kohinoor can be admired more of its beauty in London in a secured environment.
Also the country which looks after its people the most deserve such riches. India, Pakistan or Afghanistan have a long way finding a perfect kohinoor for themselves
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Apr 18, 2016 03:19pm
The need of hour is two times meals and safe drinking water for a majority of population in both countries...Kohinoor comes after that.....
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Apr 18, 2016 03:21pm
Good to know.
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Apr 18, 2016 03:24pm
It should be returned .
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Apr 18, 2016 03:28pm
Its cursed. British empire lost its aura after they got it. They are now a very small country
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Apr 18, 2016 03:31pm
It was taken from the Fort of Lahore and must be returned to the Fort of Lahore. People of Pakistan owns it.
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Apr 18, 2016 03:32pm
It's just a rock, let the queen keep it if it makes her feel more important.
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Apr 18, 2016 03:36pm
Full stop to this never ending discussion
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Apr 18, 2016 03:45pm
loyal to the masters
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Apr 18, 2016 03:45pm
It is moral duty of Britain to return Kohinoor to India... As it is originally belongs to India.
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Apr 18, 2016 03:59pm
When you can't get it, give it up.
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Apr 18, 2016 04:01pm
India's Solicitor General's statement:“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,” is factually and historically incorrect. Koh-e-Noor's hand over to the Queen was NOT between Ranjit Singh and East India Company but was set as a condition, No. 3, of a 'moaheda' between Maharaja Dulip Singh and the East India Company on March 29, 1849 in Lahore.
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Apr 18, 2016 04:05pm
@Khwarezmi
The fort of Lahore got it from a mine in Andra Pradesh in South India. Therefore if anywhere, it should reside in Andra Pradesh
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Apr 18, 2016 04:09pm
To avoid dispute, this should be thrown into Mediterranean sea
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Apr 18, 2016 04:12pm
@Shahid
Perfectly correct. It was Dalip Singh who was coerced into ceding the Koh-i-Noor diamond to England...
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Apr 18, 2016 04:19pm
@hassan Very sensible my friend. There are more important issues facing both India and Pakistan. Education, water, health ....the list goes on.
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Apr 18, 2016 04:19pm
Okay, that settles it. Case closed. It stays in Britain!
Who needs Kohinoor, when the richest man in Britain is wealthier than the Queen?
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Apr 18, 2016 04:20pm
Now, Brits should also show their generosity and magnanimity... They should return it back to India keeping in mind the sentiments of Indian people. The respect for Brits will increase manifold by this minor symbolic action.
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Apr 18, 2016 04:26pm
Better leave it with Britain.
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Apr 18, 2016 04:25pm
@khusboo ....British East India Company
In 1849, after the conquest of the Punjab by the British forces, the properties of the Sikh Empire were confiscated and that is the price we pay for losing the battle...
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Apr 18, 2016 04:30pm
if instead of getting kohinoor from britain.. getting economic deals with the them for the same price of kohinoor that can help our economy and the poor people (in the 4 countries claiming it).. that would be worth infinite times more
in other words, britain can keep the kohinoor but in return can do economic investments in these countries to help them grow.. that will be the most amicable solution.. getoverthekohinoor
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Apr 18, 2016 04:33pm
@Rahul ... I think the best solution is to sell the diamond in an open market and directly distribute its earned wealth onto the poor people of indo pak... And that would be the true concept of common wealth...
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Apr 18, 2016 04:37pm
@Ahmed Kohinoor meaning mountain of light... we do have them plenty in the form of our leadership...they noor ie the light has blinded us all....
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Apr 18, 2016 04:39pm
Maybe it can be mounted on a rotating cricket trophy for a trilateral tournament between UK India and Pakistan??
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Apr 18, 2016 04:39pm
A precious stone , never belonged to any state as national treasure. It was always in the possession of a King or a Raja. So now it is in the hand of Brtish Royal family. End of discussion. A sensible decision by Indian government.
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Apr 18, 2016 04:39pm
@mohammad if it is returned to Pakistan it would be in the off shore account... wonder what India would do...
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Apr 18, 2016 04:40pm
@Light tunnel ... don't look at the size still mighty strong.... economically and militarily...
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Apr 18, 2016 04:43pm
@Answer if people they stop this debate and unnecessary issues we would be a strong region...
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Apr 18, 2016 04:54pm
Now that's maturity...may there be more...
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Apr 18, 2016 04:57pm
Correct move.
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Apr 18, 2016 04:56pm
Very mature decision of India.
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Apr 18, 2016 04:58pm
Kashmir was also a province of Punjab at one point so maybe it should be returned to its rightful owners too.
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Apr 18, 2016 04:59pm
If British decide to surrender..then there will be another coflict start between Pakistan and India and may be anothe war.. we already have Kashmir..a big conflict which is not resolved for last 69 yrs.
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Apr 18, 2016 05:08pm
Sir, it's true origin is not a mystery, it was mined from 'Golconda Mines' in today's state of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. This was mined in the Krishna river valley. In fact Kohinoor is not the only diamond mined from there. There were many other famous ones.
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Apr 18, 2016 05:12pm
No point asking for it's return. Significant expenditure shall be required by the host country for it's security. Let's spend that money elsewhere.
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Apr 18, 2016 05:25pm
Thankyou India, the decision was expected as it belongs to Pakistan.
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Apr 18, 2016 05:26pm
If it were to somehow land back in India or Pakistan, local politicians will immediately turn around and sell it the highest bidder in USA or UK etc. and pocket a hefty black money bonus. We (Indians & Pakistanis) have been selling away our heritage with the help of politicians ever since the independence.
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Apr 18, 2016 05:28pm
Kohinoor actually belonged to a king from South India.
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Apr 18, 2016 05:37pm
@khusboo I think it was found in Indian Hyderabad not in Punjab.
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Apr 18, 2016 05:40pm
Clearly it belongs to Afghanistan officially. There is nothing to dispute about it... Even name of it is clearly visible from where the diamond is.
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Apr 18, 2016 05:48pm
It's better for the british to keep the Diamond than handing it over to any of the countries mentioned in the article. These countries will end up fighting over this piece of stone.
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Apr 18, 2016 05:50pm
it should be equaly distributed between three cuntry
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Apr 18, 2016 05:55pm
Yup, the recent royal visit must have put some pressure on the Indian government. All the governments in this regions succumb easily.
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Apr 18, 2016 06:06pm
@Light tunnel Small in size but not stature or economy. It punches above it's weight globally. Nuff said.
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Apr 18, 2016 06:14pm
The Kohinoor originally belonged to Rao Mahek Deo of the Deccan (Hyderabad, India). It then passed to different owners after wars and conquests.
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Apr 18, 2016 06:15pm
The Koh-i-Noor is supposed to have been found in the Golconda mines near Guntur in present day India. At that time all the diamonds came from the Indian subcontinent.
Over time it has changed hands and now resides in the UK. In trying to get it back, India and Pakistan have indulged in petty oneupmanship. Best to focus on honing the Kohi-i-Noors we have: our talented people.
For that reason it is a good decision to let the diamond be where it is.
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Apr 18, 2016 06:16pm
by getting the diamond how anything will be changed in any or all of these countries?
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Apr 18, 2016 06:24pm
@ASB bro, Koh-i-Noor is located in Afghanistan. It's a place called Koh-i-Noor.
Koh-i-Noor always belonged to Afghanistan then found Koh-i-Noor Diamond which was gifted to our brother India from Afghan King.
Officially it was from Afghanistan and belonged to Afghan king. Why even dispute about it?
Read history and why they named it Koh-i-Noor. There is a special reason why it's named Koh-i-Noor.
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Apr 18, 2016 06:28pm
I went and saw this much sought after diamond about 3 weeks ago, I was surprised how small it is, its the size of the tip of my thumb.
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Apr 18, 2016 06:28pm
How can India say so,I think UK should think about it.Kohinoor is a symbol of rich Indian heritage.It does not belong to UK
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Apr 18, 2016 06:30pm
@Light tunnel Britain was always a small country. If one picks up a globe and try to find it, one would have a hard time. It must be nothing bigger than Sindh or Punjab...But this small nation once ruled almost half the world! Hard to imagine that. Its not that they got small, the rest of the world got too small for them :)
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Apr 18, 2016 06:30pm
@mohammad to you? first decide the waaris of the diamond, then lets start the return or no return debate again :D
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Apr 18, 2016 06:30pm
@Khwarezmi It was mined from the mines of Andhra Pradesh and should be returned to Andhra Pradesh!
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Apr 18, 2016 06:33pm
@dipak Rather keep it unharmed with the current owner
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Apr 18, 2016 06:33pm
India-Pak-England should play a cricket series. Winner gets Kohinoor
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Apr 18, 2016 06:37pm
@Balram Sharma Most sensible comment on this post.
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Apr 18, 2016 06:42pm
Read the Book "Empire of the Sikhs - Patwant Singh". The history of the diamond and its origins in Hyderabad are detailed in great length.
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Apr 18, 2016 06:58pm
@Shahid : PAKISTAN AND INDIA CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT BUT KOHINOOR BELONGS TO CROWN.
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Apr 18, 2016 07:16pm
Better move on than digging into the past. Good or bad, leave the disputes and conflicts of history in the boxes they are in. Work for better present and tomorrow is the key....
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Apr 18, 2016 07:34pm
@Ahmed India doesn't belong to this group bro. Get your facts straight before making such claims.
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Apr 18, 2016 07:38pm
Have a hockey or cricket series and whoever wins gets to keep it until the next series.
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Apr 18, 2016 07:54pm
Really genrous of our rich people to gift the poor English Queen Koh I Noor Diamond . Where do you find such generous rich people who can gift Europeans diamonds and now want to buy useless jet planes to boost American economy . Very very rich people indeed in whose land poor die easy, the Europeans get gifted diamonds and Panama gate happens occasionally .useless .
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Apr 18, 2016 08:04pm
@Khalid Farooq Hat's off to you, this is by far the funniest argument I have heard
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Apr 18, 2016 10:35pm
O come on it's just a diamond.
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Apr 18, 2016 10:55pm
We don't need koh -i -noor. We have our diamond "kohli -i-noor" which is more important
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Apr 18, 2016 11:50pm
Despite all these lawsuits or even involving UNO for the return of this diamond to south Asia, it will always remain in British possession for ever. Can't see what all this fuss is about a piece of stone that traps a lot of light internally and shines. Let's stop wasting money in bringing one lawsuit after another.
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Apr 19, 2016 12:14am
@Shahid you are absolutely right. Ranjit Sing died some 30-40 years before the handing over. It was given by Crown Prince Daleep Singh who was under the tutelage of a female governess. It is a long and tricky story and the details are given in one of the book written by a Scottish author in his book, and it is slipping my mind. It is the Last Maharaja or something mostly about Daleep Singh who become very close to the queen and used to see her almost everyday.
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Apr 19, 2016 01:15am
@idea! Fantastic idea !
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Apr 19, 2016 02:10am
Indian Govt. is still a slave of colonial heritage. For majority of Indians (not all included) it was a mere change of "masters", from Muslim Rule to British Rule. Since most of them sided British and left their Mughal masters, they do not have a claim. The claim is of Muslim majority people of the sub-continent, Koh-i-Noor is their legacy and should be returned back to Pakistan. Ofcourse Indian Govt. will never encourage this move to return it to Pakistan because the policy of Indian Govt. has been compeletly against Pakistan, since its creation and even before!
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Apr 19, 2016 04:22am
Yes it was given to Britain when it occupied subcontinent.....
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Apr 19, 2016 06:47am
Actually KOHINOOR belongs to Sikhs. India and Pakistan can not claim it . Sikhs are unable to keep it safe . So it is better if it remains in England.
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Apr 19, 2016 06:56am
@Bharat Kumar Jaiswal - What do you call Koh-e-Noor in Hindi?
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Apr 19, 2016 07:22am
Koh-i-Noor was taken away by the invaders.
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Apr 19, 2016 09:07am
The Koh-i-Noor should become a cricket trophy between England, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Whoever wins a four-way tournament gets to keep it for the next ten years.
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Apr 19, 2016 12:11pm
@Khalid Farooq sir we have a Punjab in India too
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Apr 19, 2016 12:52pm
I can't believe that such a trivial thing is even being discussed! India needs education, health services, poverty eradication etc etc. Focus on that. What's wrong with my countrymen?
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Apr 19, 2016 05:32pm
cultural heritage of punjab ?????
Sirji, Kohinoor was mined from 'Golconda Mines' in today's state of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. Kohinoor belongs to only South Indians.
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Apr 19, 2016 05:34pm
@Jarnail Singh Chahal No ji , it was mined from 'Golconda Mines' in today's state of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. Kohinoor belongs to only South Indians.
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Apr 19, 2016 08:21pm
So India have given away something that did not belong to it. Real owner will be Jatt race who are descended from King of Punjab. It should be kept and displayed in Lahore or gujaranwala.
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Apr 19, 2016 09:07pm
This and other artifacts of the colonial era must be returned. There are many such sculptures and arts that are floating around the world and being stolen even today.
However, in the current corrupt subcontinent, these cannot be guaranteed to be protected. For now Britain is better place for Kohinoor.
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Apr 20, 2016 01:07am
We have virat kohli.
England can keep the stone.
We have sachin tendulkar, england can keep the stone.
We have amitabh bachan , shah rukh khan , amir khan , salman khan , vishwanathan anand.
We had aryabhatta, ramanujan, Apj Abdul Kalam , Kalpana Chawla.
England can keep the stone.
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