KOH-I-NOOR: GOVT U-TURN, WILL TRY TO RECLAIM IT

It was a night of U-turns. First, it rolled back the EPF notification; then, the Union government did a swift rethink on the Kohinoor diamond and said it will make all efforts to bring it back.

The stand articulated in the apex court on Monday was that the valued diamond was "neither stolen nor forcibly" taken by the British rulers but given to it by the erstwhile rulers of Punjab.

In a statement on Tuesday, the government claimed it has not yet conveyed its views to the court, "contrary to what is being misrepresented" in the media. The release also noted that the court has granted six weeks time on the plea of the Solicitor General for making his submission in the matter.

The official statement also said that the government reiterates its resolve to make all possible efforts to bring back the Kohinoor Diamond in an amicable manner.

The government release further insists that the matter is sub judice and the PIL is yet to be admitted. "The Solicitor General of India was asked to seek the views of the government of India, which have not yet been conveyed. The Solicitor General informed the court about the history of the diamond and gave an oral statement on the basis of the existing references made available by the ASI. Thus, it should be reaffirmed that the government of India has not yet conveyed its views to the court, contrary to what is being misrepresented," it said.

The diamond not only has strong roots in the nation's history, it was also handed over to the East India Company by Sikh ruler Duleep Singh when he was not even in his teens. This puts the Indian claim in a very different perspective.