The Calcutta high court on Thursday directed the joint special officers to shift the gold coins, valuable ornaments and precious stones found at the time of making inventory of the personal belongings of the late Priyamvada Birla to the locker of a nationalised bank.
Justice Kalyanjyoti Sengupta passed the order after considering the submission of both parties.
Under the order, all valuable goods would be kept in the lockers in the name of the joint special officers.
The keys of the lockers were also kept with the court appointed officers.
At the time of making inventory, the officers also found three pistols, which would be deposited with the licensed arms dealers of the city, the order said.
The court order pointed out that for security reasons, the name of banks and the branches would not be disclosed to the public.
The name of the arms dealers also would not be disclosed.
The Lodha side would place the name of the banks and its branches to the special officers, who would select the bank.
On October 4, the counsel for Lodha sought court's order to remove the valuable goods to the bank lockers.
The counsel for Birlas had no objection on the shifting.
The cost of the lockers would be borne by both the Birla and Lodha camps, the order indicated.
Ahin Choudury, one of the joint special officers, said in the court that the gold coins of Maurya, Indo-Greek, Kushan, Gupta and Mughal periods were kept in three boxes while ornaments and precious stones like diamond, ruby, pearls and others were kept in 29 boxes.
The counsel for Lodha assured the court that they could arrange as many nationalised bank lockers required to store the goods.
Two sisters of M P Birla and some Birla family members had filed an application for appointment of administrator over the M P Birla estate.
Justice Sengupta had appointed four special officers to make a list of the personal belongings of late Priyamvada Birla lying at her four residential houses at Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Allahabad.
The joint special offcers at the time of making inventory of the goods, found ancient coins, ornaments and precious stones.
They were at present being guarded by eight men, four each from both the parties.
Sources claimed the Archaeological Survey of India had ruled the coins would not have to be declared under the Antiquities & Art Treasures Act & Rules under a rule issued in 1980 exempting the registration of coins.
