Koh-i-Noor belongs to Sikh community, says India's Shiromani Akali Dal

The Koh-i-Noor controversy has taken a new turn with India's Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) claiming that the historic diamond belonged to the Sikh community.

The claim was made days after the government of India said it would make all efforts to bring back the Koh-i-Noor to India.
 
“The diamond belonged to the Sikh community,” said SAD President and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal late on Wednesday.
 
In a statement, Badal said the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) would file a caveat in India’s Supreme Court (SC) so that the community was heard when the court decided on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO, All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front, demanding the return of the diamond to India from the UK.     
 
The SGPC is a body with a Rs 100-million budget that governs Gurdwaras, schools and colleges, and is politically represented by the SAD.
 
Referring to a statement in court by Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar that the Kohinoor was gifted to the British, Badal said that a SAD delegation would meet Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to make a representation on behalf of the Sikhs “to highlight the wrong version given to the court earlier”.
 
During the hearing on Monday, Ranjit had told the apex court that the Koh-i-noor could not be brought back, as it had not been stolen but gifted.
 
However, the next day, the central government clarified that the solicitor general’s statement did not represent its stand and that it would make all efforts to bring back the 105-carat diamond.