 Much-contested gem, now set in crown once worn by Queen Mother, was not purloined, India’s supreme court hears 
 
 It’s time for India to relinquish its claim to a huge diamond that has formed part of Britain’s crown jewels for more than 100 years, according to India’s government, which has said it was gifted rather than stolen. After decades of seeking the return of the the 106-carat Koh-i-noor, which forms part of the crown that was worn by the Queen Mother, an attempt to put the row to rest was made by Narendra Modi’s government in the Indian supremecourt on Monday 
 
 “It was neither stolen nor forcibly taken away,” India’s solicitor general, Ranjit Kumar, told the supreme court during the hearing of a case calling for the stone’s return. It adds that the jewel, meaning “mountain of light” in Persian, was surrendered in 1849 to Queen Victoria’s representatives following the Anglo-Sikh wars in the Punjab. Most recently, David Cameron told Indian television in 2010 that he would oppose its return, adding: “If you say yes to one, you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty.
– For decades, Indians have demanded that Britain return a 105.6-carat diamond that they say was taken from them when they were under colonial rule. The matter may soon be settled, and not in their favor. In a Monday appearance before India's Supreme Court, which was hearing a case on the stone, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar said the Koh-i-Noor diamond "was neither stolen nor forcibly taken away." In recommending the government relinquish its claim, Kumar said Maharaja Ranjit Singh bestowed the gem—"the most famous diamond in the crown jewels," per its current profile on the British royal palaces website—on Queen Victoria in 1849 for Britain's help in the Sikh wars. It isn't clear what brought about the change of heart, though Kumar said pressing India's claim might result in other countries "claiming their items from us." The Telegraph notes Kumar also referenced a 1970s law that says only those items removed illegally from pre-independent India may be pursued by the government. While the royals are likely thrilled—the jewel is embedded in a crown that was worn by the Queen Mother and will be sported by Kate as queen consort—the man who petitioned the Supreme Court is less so, per Reuters: "The British rulers looted India and the government is making a mistake by not supporting our claims." The diamond is said to have surfaced in the 1300s and "passed through the hands of conquering Mughal princes, Iranian warriors, Afghan rulers," some of whom met a fate that gained the diamond a reputation as cursed and "unlucky for men to wear," writes the Guardian. The profile says it came to Britain "as the spoils of Empire." (This man bought the world's priciest gem for his 7-year-old.)