Tata Trusts, the principal shareholder of Tata Sons, has circulated a proposal among its trustees to reappoint Mehli Mistry as a trustee for three of its key philanthropic arms — the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution. The reappointment would confer lifetime trustee status on Mistry.
Earlier this week, Tata Trusts unanimously reappointed Venu Srinivasan as a lifetime trustee, with the backing of Mehli Mistry.
Mistry, along with trustees Pramit Jhaveri, Jehangir H.C. Jehangir, and Darius Khambata, supported Srinivasan’s reappointment as a trustee of Tata Trusts.
However, they attached a key condition — that all future renewals of trustees must be approved unanimously. In the absence of unanimity, they warned, their approvals would stand withdrawn.
During Ratan Tata’s tenure, voting was never an option within the Trusts. Decisions were traditionally reached through consensus and collective agreement — a practice now being tested amid signs of internal friction.
A long-time confidant of Ratan Tata, Mistry was first inducted as trustee in 2022, with his current three-year term set to expire on October 28. The latest proposal comes against the backdrop of reported internal rifts within Tata Trusts, with a faction seen as aligned with chairman Noel Tata and another group led by Mistry, comprising Ratan Tata loyalists.
Mistry is part of the four-member Executive Committee of Tata Trusts, currently headed by Noel Tata. Vijay Singh and Venu Srinivasan are Vice Chairman of the Trusts. Vijay Singh had to quit Tata Sons board last month as his renomination was opposed by four trustees — Mistry, Darius Khambata, Pramit Jhaveri, and Jehangir HC Jehangir.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
