Would India get its Kohinoor back ?

The longest ruling queen of UK Queen Elizabeth II died after completing 70 years of rule. Queen Elizabeth’s eldest son 73 years old Prince Charles III would soon take over the throne during which his wife 75 year old Camilla would be crowned as the Queen consort and would wear the crown etched with Kohinoor. The new owner of the Kohinoor is also the Duchess of Cornwall.

The 105.6 carat Kohinoor (also spelled as Koh-i-Noor) diamond was found in India in the 14th century. The British army took the priceless gemstone to Queen Victoria in accordance to the punitive treaty that the Maharaja of Lahore was forced to sign after his defeat in Anglo Sikh war 1849. Since then its ownership remains the subject of controversy within four countries till date.

The Kohinoor is kept on display in the Tower of London, is currently set in a platinum crown that was created for Queen Elizabeth II. The 186 carat diamond was cut to oval shape during which it lost 40% of its mass. The most expensive diamond cost the value of half of the world’s total production costs in one day during the 1500s but the exact value is still unknown.

A famous myth prevails regarding Kohinoor that it is unlucky for a man to wear because the King who had won it died early. So either a woman or God could wear it. Prime Minister David Cameron said in 2013 he did not think returning the diamond was “sensible”. Bretain never agreed to give the diamond back.

India asked for the diamond back as soon as it got independence in the year of 1947. Again a second request was made in 1953 which was the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. In the late 1900s, former Indian high commissioner Kuldip Nayar moved a petition in the Rajya Sabha demanding the return of the diamond. It was signed by 50 MPs but it could not work.

 In 2016, the Indian government claimed that the Koh-i-Noor was loot and was part of the Treaty of Lahore. It was “neither stolen nor forcibly taken” claimed solicitor-general Ranjit Kumar in an affidavit. However the Archaeological Survey of India reported that the government was making “all possible efforts to bring back the Koh-i-Noor diamond in an amicable manner however, that there were no legal grounds to get the diamond back”.