Kohinoor diamond not stolen, gifted to UK: Centre tells Supreme Court

[Lalit]

Share:

Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Share Link

[h=1]Kohinoor diamond not stolen, gifted to UK: Centre tells Supreme Court[/h]The govt on Monday told the Supreme Court that the Kohinoor diamond was not stolen by the British but was gifted to them by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
TNN & Agencies | Apr 18, 2016, 01.07 PM IST

EW DELHI: India should not stake claim to the famed $200 million Kohinoor diamond as "it was neither stolen nor forcibly taken away", the centre told the Supreme Court on Monday.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the government on Monday, said this was the stand of the Culture Ministry. He also told the court that the 105-karat Kohinoor diamond was handed over to the East India Company by Maharaja Duleep Singh.

Incidentally, in 1850, the Marquess of Dalhousie, who was the British governor-general of Punjab, forced Punjab's Maharaja Duleep Singh to 'gift' the diamond to Queen Victoria.

Solicitor General Kumar on Monday also also said the response of the Ministry of External Affairs on this issue is yet to come.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to file a detailed reply within six weeks.

The court had on April 9 asked the Centre to clearly state its position on bringing back the diamond. It was hearing a petition filed by the All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front.


At the time, Chief Justice T.S Thakur asked the Centre if it is clear that it wants the case to be dismissed, because the government would face a problem if it claimed the diamond in the future.



People have been demanding the return of the 105-carat stone for decades now.[h=2]Top Comment[/h]Common sense must prevail that one cannot and should not ask for a gifted item to be returned. Asking for return of a gift is a shameful act.Prakash Chordia






The British Government had in 2013 rejected demands for the return of the Kohinoor.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...olen-gifted-to-UK-Centre-tells-Supreme-Court/

 

[Brahmanyan]

The ownership of "Koh-i-noor" (the Mountain of Light) is interesting, it has changed many hands from the Royalty of Malwa in 1304 AD to Queen Victoria 1850 AD . In 1852 AD under the supervision of Prince Albert, Kohinoor was cut from 186 Carats (37.2 Grm) to its present weight of 105.6 carats (21.12 Grm). By this operation the precious Diamond had lost 42 per cent of its weight ! Now it is a part of Crown Jewels of British Royalty and adorns the front Cross of Queen Mother's Crown.
The Goverrnments of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan have claimed its ownership for the return of the Diamond, which was catagorically refuted by the the British Government saying that "ownership was not negotiable".

The stand taken by the present Government is just and wise. History cannot be reversed.

Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[Brahmanyan]

The ownership of "Koh-i-noor" (the Mountain of Light) is interesting, it has changed many hands from the Royalty of Malwa in 1304 AD to Queen Victoria 1850 AD . In 1852 AD under the supervision of Prince Albert, Kohinoor was cut from 186 Carats (37.2 Grm) to its present weight of 105.6 carats (21.12 Grm). By this operation the precious Diamond had lost 42 per cent of its weight ! Now it is a part of Crown Jewels of British Royalty and adorns the front Cross of Queen Mother's Crown.
The Goverrnments of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan have claimed its ownership for the return of the Diamond, which was catagorically refuted by the the British Government saying that "ownership was not negotiable".

The stand taken by the present Government before the Supreme Court is just and wise. History cannot be reversed.

Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

We know that the famous diamond is safe and secure in the collection of the Queen's jewels.

We may get a glimpse of it now and then when a member of the royal family wears it!

IF it were brought to India, no one will ever know to whose private collection it has been added!!!

 

[Brahmanyan]

We know that the famous diamond is safe and secure in the collection of the Queen's jewels.

We may get a glimpse of it now and then when a member of the royal family wears it!

IF it were brought to India, no one will ever know to whose private collection it has been added!!!

Dear Mrs. Visalakshi Ramani,
You said it. I have seen this precious Diamond on the Crown of queen mother among the Jewels of British Royalty kept safely in the Tower of London
Museum.
Warm regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

dear sir,
Namaste! ray2:
IF the gold and diamonds of the powerful Gods vanish and get replaced by cheap replicas,
what to say about something which DOES NOT belong to anyone and CAN belong to anyone!

 

[Visalakshi Ramani]

A GIFT is a gift and should NOT be taken back by the giver at any time in the future!

But in India recycling of gifts is very common practiced by almost everyone.

But it hurts the sentiments when something special given by us to someone special

is passed on by that person to someone else who is very special to that person!
VaNNanukku vaNNaaththi mElE aasai. VaNNaaththikku kazhuthai mElE aasai!

 

[prasad1]

[h=1]Ministries goofed up on Kohinoor issue[/h]Behind the Modi government's red face over the Centre’s stand in the Supreme Court on getting back Kohinoor, was the casual approach in the Culture Ministry and lack of inter-ministerial coordination on a complex issue.

In its clarification on Tuesday, the Culture Ministry did a turnaround following criticism over Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar’s submission before a bench of Chief Justice of India T S Thakur that Kohinoor was “gifted” and not stolen or forcibly taken away by Britishers in the 19th century. Arguing that it would be futile to stake claim over it, Kumar had stated that it was a compensation given to Britishers by Maharaja Ranjit Singh for their support in Anglo-Sikh war.

The Culture Ministry, however, stated in Tuesday evening statement that the government has not conveyed its views yet to the Supreme Court while insisting that they were hopeful of getting back the precious jewel.

On an instruction that a factual report had to be prepared because the case was coming up in the Supreme Court on Monday, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) sources said a note was mailed to a top bureaucrat in the ministry and to the SG’s office so that the government’s legal team was equipped with the facts available with archaeologists.

Subsequently no discussions took place on such a historically and diplomatically sensitive issue in the ministry despite ASI’s reference material, as accepted in the clarification, reflected deviation from the previous positions.

Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, who was not kept in the loop, is believed to have been informed of his ministry’s stand only after the news broke out following hearing in the SC on Monday. Government sources said that Sharma was livid and instructed his office to get into the bottom of the matter which was embarrassing for the government.

Ideally there should have been inter-ministerial consultations, especially with the external affairs ministry, to put a comprehensive view before the SC, commented a government officer. Even the culture ministry’s statement acknowledges that the SG informed the court “about the history of the diamond and gave an oral statement on the basis of the existing references made available by the ASI”.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/541722/ministries-goofed-up-kohinoor-issue.html

 

[tbs]

hi

its just DHAANAM....we can't ask again....dhaanam may be by force or willingly....

 

[yesmohan]

hi

its just DHAANAM....we can't ask again....dhaanam may be by force or willingly....

Yes Sir.

Even if the dhaanam is taken away by force and without the willingness of the donor, now India would not ask for return.

Always the donors position is enviable with magnificence of majesty ; the recipient could never have any glory.

 

[tbs]

Yes Sir.

Even if the dhaanam is taken away by force and without the willingness of the donor, now India would not ask for return.

Always the donors position is enviable with magnificence of majesty ; the recipient could never have any glory.

hi

even we try again....i dont think so...we will get back......