Harsh Vardhan Lodha moves HC over APL committee decisions

Birla Corporation Chairman Harsh Vardhan Lodha on Thursday moved the Calcutta High Court for setting aside majority decisions taken by a court-appointed committee to administer the estate of former chairman Priyamvada Birla.

Lodha also prayed for a stay on all directions contained in the majority decisions of the The Administrator Pendente Lite (APL) committee taken this month.

Justice S Munshi, before whom the prayer was moved by Lodha's counsels, refused to hear the matter urgently and released his application for assignment to a different bench by the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.

Munshi was hearing a probate application by Harsh Vardhan, whose late father R S Lodha had claimed that Priyamvada Birla bequeathed her estate, comprising the M P Birla Group, to him through a will.

The application was contested by the Birlas, who claim that R S Lodha was an "outsider" and the will he sought to propound was unnatural.

In the ongoing battle between the Birlas and the Lodhas over the assets of the M P Birla Group, both have been contesting each other's claims before different courts.

N G Khaitan, counsel for the Birlas, said that they will oppose the application of Harsh Vardhan when it comes up for hearing before an appropriate bench of the high court.

Justice Mohit Shantilal Shah (retd), M K Sharma and A C Chakrabortti are the court-appointed Administrator Pendente Lite in the estate of Priyamvada Birla.

Harsh Vardhan has claimed that the decisions taken by the APL committee are illegal on the ground that it lacks power to decide any issue by majority.