Kohinoor diamond gifted to British: Indian gov't

The Indian government told the country's supreme court on Monday that the Kohinoor diamond was not stolen by the British but was gifted to them, putting to rest all speculation over the gem's ownership.

The Kohinoor diamond was gifted to the East India Company by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the central government said in its reply to the apex court in the wake of a public interest litigation (PIL) return of the same to India.

In the PIL, the All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front has sought directions to Britain's High Commissioner for return of the diamond to this country. The Indian External Affairs Ministry has been made a party to the case.

The Kohinoor is a large, colorless diamond that was found near Guntur in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh possibly in the 13th century. It weighed 793 carats uncut and was first owned by the Kakatiya dynasty.

The stone changed hands several times between various feuding factions in South Asia over the next few hundred years, before ending up in the possession of Queen Victoria after the British conquest of Punjab in 1849.

The diamond is currently set in the front of the Queen Mother's Crown and is seen by millions of visitors to the Tower of London each year.

India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have all tried to claim ownership of the gem and demanded its return at various points in recent decades. Endit