Union Minister of State for Culture, tourism and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma today said that only the Centre can act on the issue of the Kohinoor Diamond.
"According to Guidelines, the Central Government can take steps on things that were gifted or procured by the British before independence. Expert opinion on this regard will be taken on appropriate time," he told ANI.
The Kohinoor, which means "Mountain of Light", was acquired from an Afghan king by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 19th century ruler of Punjab. He willed it to a temple in Odisha, but Dilip Singh, his successor, a minor, handed it over to the East India Company in 1849.
The diamond was set in a crown of Queen Victoria and is on display in the Tower of London.For years, politicians and others, here and in the UK, have said the diamond was seized after the British annexed Punjab.
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