Birla-Lodha tussle reaches SC

The Birla-Lodha fight over the Rs 5,000 crore empire of M P Birla reached the Supreme Court today when the Lodha group approached it challenging a Calcutta High Court order.

The Calcutta High Court  had earlier dismissed their petition seeking to quash a criminal case filed against them by a Birla group employee.

The petition was filed by Siva Nath Prasad along with R S Lodha, V Gauri Shanker and Sushil Kumar Daga who were made accused in the case filed by Rajendra Prasad Pansari of the Birla group.

Pansari, working with the M P Birla group since 1977, had filed a complaint before an Alipore Court in Kolkata that after the death of Priyamvada Devi Birla in July 2004, it was found by him that "Lodha had criminally conspired with other accused persons and misappropriated properties worth Rs 2,400 crore vested in five trusts" meant for charitable purposes.

The petition, filed through advocate Ankur Chawla, stated that the criminal complaint against Lodha should be quashed as it has been filed by a person who has no interest in the estate and properties.