Complaint Filed Against Sir Ratan Tata Trust Board Over Alleged Breach of New Maharashtra Trustee Cap

Tata Trusts Governance Under Scrutiny: Charity Commissioner Complaint Alleges Breach of Maharashtra Public Trusts Act

A complaint has been filed before Maharashtra's Charity Commissioner alleging that the current composition of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) board is in breach of a 2025 amendment to the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, and seeking an urgent inquiry into the trust's governance. The complaint, filed by advocate Katyayani Agrawal of SV & Co on Saturday, was reviewed by Moneycontrol.

According to the complaint, the Sir Ratan Tata Trust currently has six trustees, of whom three - Jimmy N. Tata, Jehangir H.C. Jehangir, and Noel N. Tata - are functioning as perpetual or lifetime trustees. The Tata Trusts' website lists six trustees on the Sir Ratan Tata Trust board: Noel N. Tata, Venu Srinivasan, Vijay Singh, Jimmy N. Tata, Jehangir H.C. Jehangir, and Darius Khambata.

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The complaint comes just ahead of crucial meetings of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust on May 8 and May 12, respectively. Those meetings will precede a key Tata Sons board meeting in June, where a fresh term for chairman N. Chandrasekaran and the possible listing of Tata Sons could come up for discussion.

The Tata Trusts meetings in May are widely expected to discuss a fresh term for Chandrasekaran and whether Tata Sons should be listed, besides routine Trust matters. A Tata Group source familiar with the matter described the complaint as part of an "agenda saying the trust composition is illegal so it cannot vote on any matters."

The meetings assume added importance because the validity of a July 25, 2025 resolution of the two main Tata Trusts has come under a cloud. That resolution, unanimously adopted at the time, had opposed any move to list Tata Sons, asked Chandrasekaran to make best efforts to prevent such a listing, and backed a fresh five-year term for him.

Since then, that common position appears to have frayed, with trustees Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh backing a listing and Noel Tata declining to support Chandrasekaran's reappointment at a Tata Sons board meeting in late February, as earlier reported by Moneycontrol.

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The petitioner has argued that if three of the six trustees are indeed perpetual trustees, they would account for 50 percent of the board, above the one-fourth ceiling prescribed under the amended law. The complaint further contends that the trust deed, governed by the will of Sir Ratan Tata, does not contain any specific provision permitting perpetual trustees beyond the statutory cap, and that the board must therefore be brought in line with the new legal framework. It has sought an inquiry, directions for compliance, and consequential action to restore legality.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the legal characterisation of each trustee's status as "perpetual" or "lifetime" trustee. The complaint reflects the petitioner's interpretation of the amended law and of the trust's current board structure. The Tata Group source cited earlier disputed the petitioner's interpretation of the regulations.

The 2025 amendment was introduced after the state flagged ambiguity around the appointment and tenure of trustees in several public trusts. The development also comes against the backdrop of a wider governance review at the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. Moneycontrol had earlier reported that Tata Trusts was considering a formal deed for the trust amid regulatory changes and internal discussions around trustee appointments and board processes.