Claim staked to jewels

Press, 17 February 1984, Page 8

Claim staked to jewels

Karan Singh, the former Prince of Kashmir, has staked a claim to what is believed to be the largest jewel find in recent history, reports Associated press from New Delhi.

Kashmir State officials announced last year that they found gem-studded royal robes, crowns, belts, and swords, and scoress of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and aigrettes in an underground vault. The largest diamond weighs 85 carats.

Karan Singh, a member of the Indian Parliament, petitioned the Kashmir High Court to “secure my

legal rights and to ensure that these heirlooms are not misappropriated, alienated, or disposed of in any manner.”

He said the hidden treasure belonged to the Kashmir princely family and had been in use since the time of the nineteenth-century ruler, Maharaja Ghulab Singh. “I will be failing in my duty if I did not press my family’s legitimate claim to these heirlooms which include many articles of historical sentiment and religious significance,” he told the court.

Karan Singh’s petition will be heard later this month. The Kashmir State Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, said the jewel treasure was found in six large, rusted tin trunks. Mr Abdullah and other officials have refused to give details. It has not been revealed where exactly the treasure was found or how old it is. Mr Abdullah said the treasure — valued at 14 billion rupees ($1.54 billion) — belonged to the people of Kashmir and would be exhibited at a new museum in Srinagar, the State capital.