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The dispute within the Birla family on Thursday became public as the R S Lodha camp produced in court a letter written by Ashok Birla to the late MP Birla.
Lodha's lawyers, in their arguments for opposing caveatable interest of Yash Birla, produced a letter dated September 10, 1985, by his father Ashok, who died in a plane crash.
The letter portrays the bitter relationship between Ashok Birla and his uncle MP Birla as well as the late Priyamvada Birla, who willed her Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion) empire to Lodha.
The letter, written five years before MP Birla's death, states, "Coming from you and aunty, such spitefulness of late is not surprising. After all, this is not the first time that you have exhibited your intense bitterness towards me and our family. Of course, on occasion you have chosen to express your bitterness against other family members also."
The letter goes on to allege that on numerous occasions, uncles BK Birla, SK Birla and aunt BK Birla were used as tools of spite, at times in the most disgraceful manner.
Lodha's lawyers used the letter to show that the Birla family was not a Hindu undivided family (HUF) or a larger Birla family.
Ashok Birla's letter concludes, "Unlike you, since I have no desire to wash dirty linen in public and much less amongst employees, I am refraining from endorsing copies of this to anybody else."
Yash Birla, in his affidavit, mentioned that his interest was on the grounds of the Birla family being an HUF. Lodha's counsel said Gajanan Birla, Yash Birla's grandfather had relinquished his interest in the family property and hence Yash Birla could not have a caveatable interest.
The counsel pointed out that Gajanan's registered deed was published in several newspapers in 1934.
Opposing the affidavit filed by BK Birla as executor in the 1982 mutual will of MP Birla and Priyamvada Birla, Lodha's counsel argued that the larger Birla family concept was a myth.