Tata Trusts board meeting deferred by Maharashtra Charity Commissioner amid ongoing probe - DETAILS

The Maharashtra State Charity Commissioner has directed Tata Trusts to postpone its proposed board meeting scheduled for May 16 amid an ongoing inquiry into the alleged violation of rules governing the composition of the board at Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

In an official directive issued on Friday, Maharashtra Charity Commissioner Amogh S. Kaloti instructed the Trust not to conduct any board meetings until the ongoing inspector inquiry is completed and its report is submitted.

The order comes after complaints were raised regarding the structure of the board of trustees at Sir Ratan Tata Trust. According to the directive, an inspector inquiry had already been initiated and the findings are still awaited.

The matter also saw representation from Tata Trusts Vice Chairman Venu Srinivasan before the Charity Commissioner.

As per the communication, concerns were raised over compliance with provisions under Section 30A(2) of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act. The amended law, introduced in September 2025, limits the number of perpetual or lifetime trustees to a maximum of 25 per cent of the total board strength.

Reports indicate that the Sir Ratan Tata Trust currently has six trustees, of which three, Jimmy Naval Tata, Jehangir HC Jehangir, and Noel Naval Tata — are lifetime trustees. This reportedly takes the share of perpetual trustees to 50 per cent, exceeding the permissible limit under the amended law.

Advocate Katyayani Agrawal, who had earlier sought urgent intervention from the Charity Commissioner, confirmed receiving the communication directing Tata Trusts to defer the meeting. She said the appointed inspector would conduct a detailed inquiry and submit a report to the authorities.

In her representation dated April 18, Agrawal had requested the Charity Commissioner to exercise statutory powers under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act and ensure compliance with the amended provisions governing trust boards.

The Charity Commissioner noted in the directive that the concerns highlighted in the representations were 'serious' and required detailed examination. The order further stated that any major decisions taken by the board during the pendency of the inquiry could complicate the proceedings and create additional legal challenges.

The development follows the postponement of an earlier board meeting linked to reconsideration of nominations to the board of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. The meeting had earlier been rescheduled to May 16 without any official explanation.

The issue had also reached the Bombay High Court through a petition challenging the existing board structure of Sir Ratan Tata Trust, alleging that it violated the amended provisions of the Maharashtra Public Trust Act.