'No ties with each other': Lodha brothers end ₹5,000-cr feud over brand and business rights

In a significant development, the Lodha brothers — elder brother Abhishek Lodha and younger brother Abhinandan Lodha — and the companies led by them have amicably resolved all outstanding disputes. The Lodha brothers, in a joint statement, said both the parties have agreed that Macrotech Developers Ltd. (“MDL”), is the owner of, and has the exclusive right to use, the brand names ‘Lodha’ and ‘Lodha Group’, while Abhinandan Lodha, is the owner of, and has the exclusive right to use the brand name ‘House of Abhinandan Lodha’ (“HoABL”).

‘Lodha Group’ and ‘House of Abhinandan Lodha’ have no connection with each other, and both entities will communicate this widely, it said. The parties have also agreed that Abhinandan has no rights or claims in Lodha Group or MDL, or other businesses of Abhishek. Likewise, Abhishek also has no rights or claims in HoABL or other businesses of Abhinandan.

"Both Abhishek and Abhinandan express their heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Justice R.V. Raveendran (Retd.), whose guidance in the mediation process was invaluable. The family is grateful to the Hon’ble Justice Arif Doctor for encouraging them to follow the process of mediation," the statement said.

The Genesis of the Dispute between the Lodha Brothers

The dispute dates back to 2015 when the two brothers decided to split the family’s realty empire, The Lodha Group, earlier helmed by their father and politician Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Elder brother Abhishek got control of the flagship business under Macrotech Developers. Younger brother Abhinandan got Lodha Ventures and Lodha Finserv, which were new businesses under the group. It took them two years to finalise the split, which also outlined terms and conditions for both companies, including the use of intellectual properties and a non-compete clause.

However, companies led by Mangal Prabhat Lodha’s sons Abhishek Lodha and Abhinandan Lodha have been embroiled in a legal battle for the past couple of years. Abhishek Lodha-led Macrotech Developers Ltd, a listed real estate giant, had many times accused Abhinandan Lodha’s The House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL) and other companies of multiple violations; HoABL, on the other hand, refuted the claims, emphasising its distinct business model and operations in separate locations.

In February this year, the battle between the two real estate giants took a dramatic turn when Manju Lodha, the mother of the two warring brothers, appealed to her sons to put an end to their legal disputes and honour the family agreement signed in March 2017. "I request you to stop all your disputes immediately," she wrote, emphasising that both brothers had already agreed to a structured division of assets outlined in the 2017 family agreement.

In its lawsuit filed in the Bombay High Court in January 2025, Macrotech again alleged various violations by entities related to Abhinandan Lodha-led companies, including trademark infringement, misinformation, agreement violations, consumer confusion and misleading practices, and unlawful registration. Macrotech said the defendants’ acts of infringement and passing off of the ‘Lodha’ trademark have caused financial losses of more than ₹5,000 crore to the group; the losses would increase further if the defendants were permitted to continue with their actions, the group claimed.

Abhinandan’s company, in its response, had alleged the violations of “corporate governance or shareholder” norms by Macrotech, while saying it borrowed multiple times from HoABL companies between 2017 and 2020. “By 2019, Macrotech was under severe funds crunch and the premium on their international bonds spiralled, signalling an imminent default,” said HoABL, adding that Abhishek and Macrotech Developers Ltd approached Abhinandan.

HoABL said that for a publicly listed company to borrow multiple times from an entity (HoABL), request and use corporate guarantee for its loans and now raise the issue of name confusion did not augur well for its corporate governance or shareholders. “If at all, it shows total disregard for any prudent sense of disclosure.” The company said Abhinandan Lodha fulfilled his obligations, including transferring his shareholding and helping the business as and when requested.