Context: 

The Parliamentary Standing Committee deliberating on heritage theft has noted in its report that nothing prevents India from seeking the return of the Kohinoor, a diamond which left Indian shores in the early 1850s and is currently embedded in the crown of the British monarch.

About Kohinoor:

• Meaning ‘Mountain of Light’, Kohinoor is a 105.6-carat colourless diamond. 
• It is believed to have been first mined in the 13th century, near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh by the Kakatiya dynasty.
• Over the years, the jewel got passed on to the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji and then to the Mughal empire following which Persian invader Nadir Shah took it to Afghanistan. 
• It passed through different dynasties before reaching Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Maharaja of Punjab, in 1809. 
• With Singh’s successor losing the kingdom to the British, the Kohinoor was ceded to Queen Victoria during the colonial rule.
• While Queen Victoria wore it as a brooch, it soon became a part of crown jewels – first in the crown of Queen Alexandra and then in the crown of Queen Mary.

Culture Ministry’s stand on Kohinoor:

• India does not have legal competence to demand the return of the diamond. 
• Under the provisions of the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972, the Archaeological Survey of India takes up the issue of retrieval of only such antiquities that have been illegally exported out of the country.
• The Culture Ministry’s stand is consistent with its 2016 affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, where it had said that the diamond cannot be reclaimed as it was given as a gift.

News Source: The Hindu

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