'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 of assets.'
Manju Lodha, mother of real estate tycoons Abhishek and 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 division of family assets.
Macrotech, owned by elder brother Abhishek, has sued the younger brother in the Bombay high court for trademark violations. The matter is currently in mediation.
In a letter dated February 21, Manju said she and her husband Mangal P Lodha have discussed at length the claims by both brothers with regard to the shareholding/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 of assets,” she said while asking both of them to end their dispute and focus their energies on growing their respective businesses.
When contacted, Abhishek said he respects his mother’s letter and will abide by it. "The 2017 agreement clearly states that the Lodha real estate business, and its IPR (intellectual property rights), 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 recognised and valuable brand name,” Abhishek said in an email comment.
A spokesperson for the Lodha Ventures, owned by Abhinandan, on the other hand, said that it was disappointing that a letter addressed by a mother to her children is being shared with people outside the immediate family for ulterior motives and to create a false narrative.
“Having said that, 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,” the spokesperson said.
On January 31 this year, a single-judge bench of Justice Arif Doctor of the Bombay high court appointed Justice R V Raveendran, a retired Supreme Court judge, to mediate the dispute.
The mediation was granted five weeks for completion. In the meantime, pleadings are to be completed, and if mediation fails, the matter will be placed for a hearing on March 21.
Earlier, in January 2025, BSE-listed Macrotech Developers had filed a lawsuit against House of Abhinandan Lodha over the use of the name “Lodha,” seeking Rs 5,000 crore in damages.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
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