R S Lodha dies in London

Mumbai: The body of Rajendra Singh Lodha, who died in London on Friday, will be flown back to India on Monday, family and company sources said. The body is expected to be flown to Kolkata where the last rites will be performed.

Lodha, 66, chairman of Birla Corporation, died of cardiac arrest in London. He was in central London to attend a business meeting with his younger son Harsh Lodha and family. His elder son Aditya was in Kolkata when the end came. Not much is known about the circumstances of Lodha's sudden death, although his younger son Harsh Lodha has spoken of the possibility of a heart attack.

Lodha qualified as a chartered accountant in 1963 securing the Dandekar Gold Medal for standing first in the final CA examination in eastern India. He served for 40 years (1964-2004) as a senior partner in his chartered accountancy firm Lodha & Co.

Indian diplomats in London said they were expecting the Lodha family to get in touch with them in order to facilitate the release of the body. ''Nobody has approached us yet and nothing much moves at the weekend. The body may leave on Monday,'' an official said.

Lodha got into a major controversy with the Birla clan when former chairperson of the Birla Corporation Priyamvada Birla bequeathed the entire assets of the MP Birla Group to him.

Priyamvada Birla's demise in July 2004 was followed by intense litigation after Lodha applied for the probate of a purported will which itself became a matter of dispute. Senior members of the Birla clan had filed appeals in the Calcutta High Court.

However, Lodha took over as chairman of the Birla Corporation.

He was also serving on the boards of the National Securities Depository, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation, SBI Life Insurance and Henkel India.