Rajendra Lodha, engaged in a legal battle with the Birlas for the control of M.P. Birla group, earned a reprieve when the Calcutta High Court today directed a lower court not to take action in a criminal matter against him till the matter was heard by it on Jan. 11.Justice P.N. Sinha, who had been assigned the matter after another judge expressed his unwillingness to hear it, passed the order when the case came up for hearing. The lower court is directed not to take any action when the matter comes before it for hearing on the next date, the judge said in his order.Birlas had earlier filed a criminal case against Lodha and three others at the SDJM, Alipur, alleging they had committed a fraud on Priyamvada Birla, who by her purported will had bequeathed the entire assets to him.The matter was fixed for hearing on January 8. —PTI
