From correspondents in West Bengal, India, 05:00 PM IST

The last rites of Birla Corp Ltd chairman Rajendra Singh Lodha - the disputed beneficiary of Priyamvada Birla's will - was performed Wednesday at the Keoratala burning ghat.

The body of the famed chartered accountant was flown back to Kolkata from London Wednesday morning.

Lodha, 66, died Friday following cardiac arrest in London, where he had gone to attend a business meeting along with his son.

The body was first kept at his south Kolkata residence and thereafter at Priyamvada Birla Arvind Eye Hospital to enable his relatives and friends pay their last homage.

Lodha got embroiled in a major controversy when MP Birla Group chairperson Priyamvada Birla bequeathed the entire assets of the group worth Rs.250 billion ($5.55 billion) to him.

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.

Since then, the Birlas and Lodha have been engaged in a protracted legal battle.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)