MEA exploring ways to resolve Kohinoor issue: Government

The external affairs ministry is exploring ways to ensure a satisfactory resolution to the vexed Kohinoor diamond issue with the British government, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said on Monday.

The minister was replying to a query in the Lok Sabha regarding government efforts to bring the Kohinoor back to India.

The minister said valuable objects taken away from the country prior to Independence, including the Kohinoor, do not fall under the purview of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act of 1972.

The row over Kohinoor broke out last month after the government told the Supreme Court that the diamond was "gifted" and not forcibly taken away by the British.

However, the government altered its stand later and resolved to bring back the 105 carat Kohinoor, now adorning the British monarch's crown and kept under tight security in the Tower of London.

Replying to another query, the minister clarified that the government doesn't possess a list of antique items of national importance kept in museums abroad.

--IANS

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