Last October, Mehli Mistry, a close confidant of the late Ratan Tata, was ousted from his position as trustee of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT). These are the two most important trusts of Tata Trusts, the philanthropic entities that hold two-thirds of Tata Sons. The development was seen as the outcome of a battle between Mistry and Tata Trusts’ Chairman Noel Tata.

Since then, their relations appear to have soured more. Now, Mistry is reported to have questioned Noel Tata’s reappointment as life trustee starting January 2025, on the grounds that there was a failure to file a mandatory change within the prescribed 90 days.

“One is really speaking of purely technical legal grounds. It needs to be understood if what prevailed is a technical lapse,” says eminent tax lawyer Homi Ranina. The battle within Tata Trusts has shown no signs of cooling. Earlier this month, it shifted to Bai Hirabai Jamshetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution.

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Once again, Mistry was involved, filing an affidavit with the Maharashtra charity commissioner questioning the appointment of Venu Srinivasan, TVS Motors’ Chairman Emeritus, and Vijay Singh, ex-Defence secretary, as Vice-Chairmen of the Bai Hirabhai Trust. His contention was that only Zoroastrians could be trustees, plus they must be permanent residents of Mumbai. Srinivasan stepped down from his position as a result.

This time the issue between Mistry and Tata is very different. “If the Charity Commissioner allows this, it will be contested and only inevitable that it eventually moves to higher courts,” says Amit A. Tungare, Managing Partner at Asahi Legal. Besides, Noel Tata is a Tata Trust nominee on the board of Tata Sons, the conglomerate’s holding company. One-third of the Tata Sons board positions are held by the trusts—the other nominee is Srinivasan. Any decision taken by the commissioner straightaway impacts Tata’s position as Tata Sons’ board member.

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According to Tungare, the possibility of the Charity Commissioner recommending an administrator at this stage to oversee Tata Trusts cannot be discounted. “That will have a cascading effect since every small decision starts to get scrutinised. The way it’s playing out, there is a good chance that this will be a long legal battle,” he says.

It boils down to the finer points of filing the mandatory change report within the prescribed 90 days. Simply put, it is not clear yet if that is mandatory or discretionary. “It comes down to whether all compliances were adhered to or not. Maybe the current situation could have been avoided,” says Tungare. All eyes now shift in one direction. “The ball is clearly in the Charity Commissioner’s court,” says Ranina.

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Published on: Apr 16, 2026 2:43 PM IST