Centre’s fresh Kohinoor bid may not be successful

NEW DELHI: After a series of unsuccessful attempts in the past, the Centre has decided to make a fresh pitch to get back the Kohinoor diamond from Britain but it may meet similar fate.

India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru had in 1956 initiated the move to bring back the stone.

The past fifteen years saw the pendulum swinging back and forth on the issue, which for many has different contexts: avenging the past, getting back dues from the colonial masters and perhaps getting the priceless diamond to where it belongs: India.

Many in India believe the British tricked Sikh ruler Duleep Singh to part with the diamond. The Kohinoor — which became part of the crown jewel — was handed over to Queen Victoria in July 1849. In the last decadeand-a-half, the issue came up in Parliament, with legislators writing to the Centre seeking to know what it was doing to ensure the stone is brought back home. However, the government’s response was tepid for long.

The standard answer was: “The government is continuing to explore ways and means for a satisfactory resolution to the matter.” The Archaeological Survey of India said it was not covered under the UNESCO Convention 1972, dealing with the restitution of cultural property. But that did not stop the Kohinoor from featuring in bilateral meetings.

In July 2010, the visiting UK PM David Cameron said, “if you say yes to one, you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty. I think I am afraid to say, to disappoint all your viewers, it’s going to have to stay put.”

Keith Vaz, the Indian-origin British MP, said the time had come to return the diamond to India as atonement for its colonial past.

The matter reached the Supreme Court in the form of a plea, seeking the return of “stolen” diamond.