No plans to bring back Kohinoor: Govt

New Delhi, Aug 18: The government on Wednesday, Aug 18, said that it has no plans to bring back the Kohinoor diamond back to India.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Planning V Narayanasamy said the government was not contemplating to bring back the Kohinoor diamond and the Peacock Throne.

"These items are not covered even under the UNESCO Convention, 1972 dealing with the restitution of cultural property," Narayanasamy, who also holds ad-hoc charge of Culture Minister, said.

The comments assume significance in the wake of British PM David Cameron ruling out returning the diamond during his recent India visit. "If you say yes to one you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty. I think I'm afraid to say, to disappoint all your viewers, it's going to have to stay put," Cameron had said last month.

The 105-carat gemstone, which was mined in Andhra Pradesh and is set in the coronation crown of the British royals, is now kept at the Tower of London, a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in the British capital.

The diamond, which belonged to various Hindu, Mughal and British rulers, was finally seized by the East India Company and became part of the British Crown Jewels when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877.

OneIndia News