by THO
Manju Lodha, the mother of real estate developers, the Lodha brothers – Abhishek Lodha who helms the flagship company, Macrotech Developers and Abhinandan Lodha, chairman of the House of Abhinandan Lodha – has urged them to resolve their differences and adhere to the family agreement signed in March 2017.
The billionaire Lodha brothers are in a legal dispute over the use of the ‘Lodha’ trademark and the division of family assets.
In a letter dated February 21, Manju Lodha said “…I request you to stop all your disputes immediately…”
She said in the letter that she and her husband, Mangal P Lodha, had discussed at length the claims by both brothers regarding the shareholding and ownership of each other’s businesses.
“The final arrangement within our family was documented in our amended family agreement dated March 31, 2017. We confirm that both of you have no right of any form in the other brother’s business or assets or shareholding,” she said in the letter, urging both brothers to end their dispute.
Abhishek Lodha and Abhinandan Lodha, the two real estate developers, are in the news after listed real estate firm Macrotech Developers, also known as Lodha Group, where Abhishek Lodha is the Managing Director, filed a 5000-crore lawsuit against his younger brother’s firm, the House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL), over allegations that the latter was unlawfully using the ‘Lodha’ or ‘Lodha Group’ brand name.
Also Read: Lodha versus Lodha: Brothers agree to go for mediation to resolve trademark dispute
House of Abhinandan Lodha is part of Lodha Ventures, established by Abhinandan after he quit Macrotech Developers (erstwhile Lodha Developers).
Lodha brothers’ respond to their mother’s letter
When contacted, Abhishek Lodha said he respects his mother’s letter and will abide by it.
Abhishek Lodha (in his individual capacity) said that “I respect my mother’s letter and will abide by it. The 2017 agreement clearly states that the Lodha real estate business and its IPR including trade name “Lodha” is owned by, and will exclusively be used by, Macrotech / Lodha Developers. I wish my younger brother, Abhinandan, all success in his business. I hope that he brings an end to this dispute by implementing the 2017 agreement and starts using a distinct and separate identity which does not lead to any confusion with our highly recognized and valuable brand name – Lodha.”
Lodha versus Lodha: A ₹5000-crore legal battle and what’s at stake
Spokesperson of Abhinandan Lodha said in a response that “It is indeed disappointing that a letter addressed by a mother to her own children is being shared with people outside the immediate family for ulterior motives and to create a false narrative. Having said that Mr Abhinandan Lodha continues to believe that family matters should not be settled in public. This is the reason he chose to maintain a dignified silence for over 10 years. He does hope that his family honours all the commitments made to him. Since the issues are under mediation, we would not like to state anything else at this stage,” he added.
The case
On January 31, real estate tycoons Abhishek and Abhinandan Lodha had agreed to mediation. The Bombay High Court appointed a former Supreme Court justice to facilitate discussions, aiming for a resolution within five weeks.
The Lodha brothers are the sons of BJP leader and Maharashtra cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha.
The bench appointed former Supreme Court Justice R V Raveendran as the mediator and said an endeavour should be made to complete the proceedings in five weeks.
