The Birlas on Thursday submitted before the Calcutta high court that their caveat in the Priyamvada Birla will case be regarded as a public interest caveat since they were claiming the assets of M P Birla Group for charities.

Winding up his argument, B K Birla's counsel Arun Jaitley submitted before Justice K J Sengupta that Birlas have sought the probate of the mutual will of 1982 of M P Birla and Priyamvada Birla as per which the entire estate should go to charities.

He said the Birlas had caveatable interest in the matter since there were two documents with two competing interest and both were entitled to caveats to probate petitions of the other. He claimed whereas Rajendra Lodha wanted the estate for personal gain, Birlas wanted it for charities.

He submitted that the Birla family, of which M P Birla was a part, had the right to propound the 1982 "wills" and question the purported will of Priyamvada of 1999 on the basis of its very existence, fraud on the executor, and fiduciary relationship between Lodha and Priyamvada.

Arguing on behalf of Yashovardhan Birla, counsels P K Roy and Pramit Roy rejected Lodha's contention that relation between the Birla clan and M P Birla and his wife Priyamvada Birla were strained.