Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata, accompanied by two trustees and Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, met Union home minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI.
Noel Tata was joined by Venu Srinivasan, chairman emeritus of TVS Motor Company, and senior lawyer Darius Khambata for the meeting, which took place at Shah’s residence. The exact agenda of the meeting remains unclear, but it comes at a time when divisions within Tata Trusts have deepened over governance and board-related matters.
According to sources cited by CNBC-TV18, the government has taken note of the escalating tensions among the trustees of Tata Trusts, which holds a 65.9% stake in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. The report said the Centre is monitoring the situation closely, given concerns that the rift could affect the functioning of Tata Sons and, by extension, India’s largest conglomerate.
Sources close to the Tata Group told CNBC-TV18 that the government “cannot be a silent spectator to the coup attempt by four trustees of Tata Trusts.”
They alleged that trustees Darius Khambata, Jehangir HC Jehangir, Pramit Jhaveri, and Mehli Mistry have attempted to undermine Noel Tata’s leadership, acting as a “super board” by trying to vet board meeting minutes and approve independent directors shortlisted by Tata Sons’ Nomination and Remuneration Committee.
Such moves, the sources said, raise “serious corporate governance concerns” within the organisation.
Reports suggest that the trust has been internally divided since the passing of Ratan Tata in October 2024.
The rift has become more apparent in recent months, with four trustees of the Dorabji Tata Trust, one of the key shareholding trusts, positioned on one side, and three others, including Noel Tata, on the other.
