The Central government on Monday stirred up a hornet's nest by telling the Supreme Court that the legendary Kohinoor diamond was not stolen by the British but was in fact gifted by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the East India Company. The 105-carat stone is set in the crown made for Elizabeth, the mother of the present British monarch, when her husband George VI was made king in 1937.
Many Indians have long maintained that the Kohinoor, which is on dispay in the Tower of London, should be returned to India by its former colonial rulers.
So the comments of Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar came as something of a surprise.
On April 8, the apex court had asked the government to clarify its stand on a PIL seeking return of Kohinoor diamond to India.
"Everybody is claiming the Kohinoor" a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur had told the solicitor general. "How many countries are claiming Kohinoor? Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and even South Africa. Somebody here is also asking for the Kohinoor. Do you know about it?"
The petition also sought the return of the "ring and sword of Tipu Sultan, among other treasures that belonged to him, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Rani of Jhansi, Nawab Mir Ahmad Ali Banda and other historical figures from India".
It seems like New Delhi doesn't want to rock its relationship with the United Kingdom over a shiny bit of carbon. But, Twitter is responding with no holds barred.
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