Pansari's has locus standi: Jethmalani

WILL POWER

R P Pansari has the locus standi to file a complaint against Rajendra Singh Lodha and three others for their misdeeds in converting properties vested for public charity to their personal benefit, Ram Jethmalani, counsel for Pansari argued in the court of Justice P N Singha, during the hearing of the petition filed by S N Prosad seeking quashing of the criminal case.

He said Pansari had full knowledge about the five trusts created by late M P Birla and his wife Priyamvada Birla as he was the secretary of those trusts. Pansari lodged the complaint against Lodha and his associates to resist their fradulent activities.

Jethmalani alleged in his argument that the accused (Lodha) without protecting public money had transferred it to personal gain.

Jethmalani said initially Birlas were not interested about the M P Birla estate as they knew that these properties were going to public charity through public institutions.

After coming to know that Lodha and his associates had revoked the trusts and conspired to grab entire properties in this personal name, the Birlas appeared to protect the estate, Jethmalani alleged.

The counsel admitted that from November 2004, Pansari had become an employee of Aditya Birla Group of companies. Lodha's lawyers have already alleged before the court that the Birla family was behind the case and Pansari was only the frontman.

Birla camp today filed a reply to the affidavit filed by Prosad, where Prosad stated that B K Birla in a prees statement admitted that he helped file the criminal case against Lodha.

In the reply, Pansari said Birlas had no time to fight the case, and also had little knowledge about the properties of M P Birla, so he filed the case on behalf of the Birlas against Lodha and others.

Jethmalani said in the criminal jurisprudence, locus standi was not applicable.

The locus standi of Pansari could therefore not be questioned.