The company alleged that certain entities related to House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL) had forged a board resolution and the signature and identity documents of one of Macrotech’s directors three years ago. In a stock exchange statement, Macrotech alleged that these documents were then used to rename HoABL company Varpan Land Developers Pvt. Ltd as Lodha Landbuild Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. Macrotech called this an infringement of its trademark.
Goa project
The renamed entity then sold at least one real estate project in Goa between September 2022 and April 2023, when it changed its name for a second time to HoABL Landbuild Pvt. Ltd, Macrotech alleged. “It is a clear cut case of forgery, fraud and impersonation with intent to cheat and deceive,” said Macrotech, also called the Lodha Group.
HoABL denied these allegations. “We are internally looking into the matter and shall revert with our detailed response. Suffice it to state that the House of Abhinandan Lodha does not admit any of the allegations of fraud and forgery sought to be attributed to us,” a spokesperson said.
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The flare-up indicates that the Lodha siblings continue to spar over the brand despite their mother’s intervention, and an ongoing mediation. HoABL is owned by Abhinandan Lodha, the younger brother of Macrotech’s managing director and chief executive Abhishek Lodha. The two brothers have been publicly sparring over inheritance and usage of the Lodha name.
‘Fake resolution’
“The concerned entities and individuals have created a completely fake resolution of Macrotech Developers Ltd (“Lodha”) including a false letterhead, false company stamp, false board meeting date, and content which we have never approved, with a false sign of our Independent Director which is nowhere close to his actual signature,” Macrotech said.
On 27 February, mother Manju Lodha had publicly urged her two sons to bury the hatchet. The two brothers are also undergoing mediation over inheritance under former Supreme Court judge R.V. Raveendran. It is unclear if the mediation process will be affected by these allegations. Spokespeople for the two opposing camps did not comment.
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The dispute surfaced this year when Macrotech, which owns the Lodha trademark, moved the Bombay High Court against HoABL. What followed was a slew of allegations and counter-allegations, with Abhinandan Lodha accusing Abhishek of unpaid dues as per a family agreement.
Macrotech’s allegations
The Lodha Group has alleged that a document dated 24 July, 2022, which was supposedly a board resolution on the company’s letter head, ratified the formation of four new companies-Lodha Landbuild Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd, Lodha Bhoomi Nirman Pvt. Ltd, Lodha Land Design Infra Pvt. Ltd, and Lodha Pictorials Landinfra Pvt. Ltd.
The ‘resolution’ permitted these companies to use the Lodha trademark and were to be registered with ROC’s central registration centre at Manesar, Haryana. The resolution bore the signature of Ashwani Kumar, an independent director on the board of Macrotech, and the former chairman & managing director (CMD) of Dena Bank. However, the signature does not match Kumar’s real sign, the realtor said.
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Further, on 3 August 2022, Ashwinder Matharu, chief of operations, strategy and investments with HoABL, allegedly made an application with the ROC to change the name of ‘Varpan Land Developers Pvt Ltd. to ‘Lodha Landbuild Infrastructure Pvt Ltd.’
A copy of Ashwani Kumar’s permanent account number (PAN) card was submitted along with the application. However, the Lodha Group said that this PAN card did not match Kumar’s original document.
‘Conspiracy’
“We are shocked at the extent of the conspiracy and how the systems of the government were misused,” the Lodha Group said in its statement.
Upon the approval of the ROC to change the name, the company allegedly used the new name to market a project in Goa. The company’s name was subsequently changed to HOABL Landbuild Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd in April 2023. Macrotech alleges this was done to “ensure that the misuse of the Lodha name would pass undetected.”
When contacted, a Macrotech spokesperson said that the company got to know of the alleged forgery and impersonation within the past week.
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“Following a detailed examination and verification of the relevant documents, the board convened a meeting today to review the facts. It is now evident to the company that the matter involves a clear case of misrepresentation and unauthorized use of its name and identity. The suit was filed by the company, and it was mistakenly understood as ‘brother vs brother’. In reality, this is a case of Lodha–one of India’s leading real estate companies–addressing a serious instance of external misrepresentation. The company will take all action to protect its interests, as it may be advised,” the spokesperson said.
