The Hindu : Business : Another claimant for Birla's wealth

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004

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Business

Another claimant for Birla's wealth

By Malabika Bhattacharya

KOLKATA, JULY 27. The battle for control over M. P. Birla's Rs. 5,000 crore empire may intensify in the days ahead following reports that one of the long dead industrialist's nieces may stake a claim to the empire which has been bequeathed to R. S. Lodha.

Promode Khaitan, once part of the Birlas' solicitors firm, Khaitan & Co., told The Hindu today that Gita Sanghi, daughter of Gajanan Birla's second wife, Sumitra, is likely to stake a claim to the empire. "She (Ms. Sanghi) had approached me a week ago on this issue. She will take a final decision on it tomorrow.'' Ms. Sanghi, who is based in Indore, is returning to Kolkata tonight.

He said Ms Sanghi's decision might trigger similar claims by the other children of Gajanan Birla, namely, Anjali Sawhney and son, the late Madhukar Birla's wife, Radhika, and her two children.

Mr. Khaitan said if the Will of the late Priyamvada Birla, M. P. Birla's wife, is shot down by the court, then "Ms. Sanghi, too, is entitled to a share of the property.'' Mr. Khaitan said if she (Ms. Sanghi) thought she could stake a claim, then she would move the court contesting the Will and seek a direction for filing an affidavit. This fresh development closely follows the revelation by the Birla lawyers that M. P. Birla's two sisters, Lakshmi Devi Newar and Radha Mohta, are also with the Birla family in contesting the Will allegedly in favour of Mr. Lodha.

Meanwhile, today the probate matter of the Will has been assigned to Justice Kalyanjyoti Sengupta of the Calcutta High Court for hearing.

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