New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Thursday agreed to hear another PIL seeking a directive to the Centre to try and bring back the Kohinoor diamond from the United Kingdom, reports tribuneindia.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur said it would hear the fresh plea by Heritage Bengal and another organization along with a pending petition by the All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front.

On April 18, the apex court had advised the Centre to take a “careful stand” on the Kohinoor diamond, instead of going by the Culture Ministry’s view that India had no right to claim it from the UK.

India would lose its right to claim ownership of the diamond if the SC dismissed the PIL, it had explained.

The Culture Ministry had initially taken a stand that the diamond had been gifted to the British government by Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s heirs and as such India had lost its rights over it. It, however, retracted the statement following the Supreme Court’s remarks.

The apex court has suggested that the views of the External Affairs Ministry, named as a respondent by the petitioner, should also be sought.

The front has also pleaded that the government should be directed to bring back other treasures of Bahadur Shah Zafar, Rani of Jhansi, Nawab Mir Ahmad Ali Banda and other rulers. The petition also named the High Commissioners of UK, Pakistan and Bangladesh as parties to the case.