Monday, March 7 2005 15:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: A city court today (Mar 7, 2005) granted the prayer of Rajendra S Lodha for adjournment, in a criminal case instituted against him and three others by the Birla group, as an application for quashing of the matter is pending before the Calcutta High Court.

Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Mumtaz Khan adjourned the matter till April 16, after Lodha's advocate prayed for adjournment of the case in the spirit of a direction by the Calcutta High Court. Lodha is engaged in a legal tussle with the Birlas for control of the M P Birla group,

The High Court had on December 23, declining to formally stay the proceedings before the lower court, directed the CJM not to pass any harsh order as it is seized of the matter.

The CJM has so far adjourned the matter thrice in view of the pendency of the matter before the High Court.

The Birlas in the complaint before the CJM alleged that Lodha, S N Prasad, V Gourishankar and S K Daga had committed a fraud on Priyamvada Birla, who by a purported will in 1999, had bequeathed the entire assets of the M P Birla group to Lodha.

The CJM had earlier directed Lodha and his associates to show cause, as to why search warrants should not be issued against them.

Following this, Lodha's associate S N Prasad moved the High Court seeking quashing of criminal proceedings against them before the lower court.

The Birlas and Lodha are already engaged in civil suits disputing the authenticity of different wills of M P Birla and his widow Priyamvada Birla, who died on July 3 last year (2005), sparking off the battle for the control of M P Birla group assets estimated to be worth over Rs 5000 crores.