Tata Trusts' Bai Hirabai Trust to Seek Revision of Parsi-exclusive Trustee Clauses

Tata Trusts Moves to Amend Restrictive Clauses in Bai Hirabai Trust Deed

In a significant development, the trustees of the Bai Hirabai Trust have decided to approach the appropriate authority to amend certain restrictive clauses in the trust's eligibility criteria. The move comes days after Mehli Mistry, a former trustee of the Tata Trusts, challenged the appointments of veteran industrialist Venu Srinivasan and former defence secretary Vijay Singh to the board of the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution (Bai Hirabai Trust).

According to Tata Trusts, the Board of Trustees of the Bai Hirabai Trust met on April 17, 2026, under the Chairmanship of Noel N Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts. During the meeting, the trustees reviewed the activities of the Bai Hirabai Trust and deliberated on recent statements in the press relating to the trust. In a statement, Tata Trusts said that the trustees have decided to adopt proceedings before the appropriate authority for alteration of restrictive clauses in respect of eligibility of trustees.

The restrictive clauses in question prohibit non-Zoroastrians from being trustees of the Bai Hirabai Trust. However, Tata Trusts pointed out that non-Zoroastrians have been continuously appointed to the trust since the year 2000, following a legal opinion obtained from a former Chief Justice of India. The trustees noted that the Bai Hirabai Trust is a non-shareholding trust with a minimal asset base and limited activities.

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The table above shows the increasing number of non-Zoroastrian trustees appointed to the Bai Hirabai Trust over the years.

Tata Trusts emphasized that the Tata ethos have always been inclusive, secular, and all-encompassing, focused on philanthropy and service to the nation. The trust also noted that the restrictive clauses in the trust deed were not provided for by Sir Ratan Tata's Codicil, which created the Bai Hirabai Trust in 1916. The Codicil did not provide for any restrictions in respect of trustees on grounds of ethnicity, race, or religion.

In its statement, Tata Trusts also reiterated its full faith and confidence in its Chief Executive Officer Siddharth Sharma and his administrative stewardship of the Tata Trusts. The trust also stated that the trustees reiterated their full faith and confidence in its Chief Executive Officer Siddharth Sharma and his administrative stewardship of the Tata Trusts.

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