The Hindu : Business : Birlas, Lodhas asked to file affidavits

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 29, 2004

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Business

Birlas, Lodhas asked to file affidavits

By Our Special Correspondent

KOLKATA, JULY 28. The first round of legal battle over ownership of the Rs. 5,000-crore M. P. Birla empire got off today in a jam packed room at the Calcutta High Court.

Justice Kalyanjyoti Sengupta asked the Birlas to file within two weeks an affidavit to establish their rights to contest the Will of the Late Priyamvada Devi Birla. He set August 25 as the next date for hearing the matter.

"The Lodhas have been asked to file their affidavit-in-opposition during this time,'' Debanjan Mandal, partner, Fox and Mandal, later told the media.

Today's case, which was a petition seeking the discharge of four of the five caveats filed by the Birlas, was assigned to Mr. Justice Sengupta by the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court after Justice SubhroKamal Mukherjee declined, earlier this week to sit in judgement in this respect on personal grounds.

Mr. Mandal said that the four caveats sought to be dismissed by his client R. S. Lodha pertained to those of K. K. Birla, B. K. Birla, G. P. Birla and Yashovardhan Birla. These caveats have been filed to ensure that they get a hearing in the petition filed by Mr. Lodha for getting probate of the disputed Will.

The caveat petition of Mrs. Radhabai Mohta is not being objected to by the Lodhas according to Mr. Mandal.

He refused to comment as to whether a copy of the Will has been given to the Birlas.

On the reason for objecting to the four other petitions, he said that this was a matter of legal strategy.

While the former Minister in the NDA Government, Satyabrata Mukherjee, appeared on behalf of the Birlas, Anindya Mitra represented Mr. Lodha.

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