Tata Trusts Cancels All Meetings Scheduled For May 16 After Directions From Charity Commissioner

All meetings of Tata Trusts scheduled for May 16 have been deferred, and no new dates have been announced so far.

The decision came after a late-evening direction from the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner’s office, according to a Moneycontrol report.

The meetings had attracted attention because of an ongoing governance dispute within Tata Trusts, which collectively hold a majority stake in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group.

In a statement issued on May 15, Tata Trusts said it received an email forwarding a direction from the Charity Commissioner asking the Board of Trustees to defer the May 16 meeting.

According to Tata Trusts, the direction was issued ex parte, meaning without notice or a hearing for the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. The Trusts also said the order appeared to apply only to the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

The statement said the order referred to a complaint filed on April 18 by Katyayani Agrawal, a representation dated April 28 by trustee Venu Srinivasan, and a Bombay High Court order passed on May 13 regarding the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

However, people aware of the matter said all Tata Trusts meetings planned for May 16 were eventually deferred. No revised schedule has been shared yet.

The immediate issue relates to a complaint challenging the composition of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust board.

According to the complaint, three of the six trustees are permanent trustees, which may violate Section 30A(2) of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act after amendments made in 2025.

The law states that perpetual or life trustees cannot exceed one-fourth of the total trustees in a public trust.

Tata Trusts disputed this interpretation and said the amendment is prospective in nature. The Trusts argued that appointments made before September 1, 2025, should not be affected by the amended rules.

The Trusts also said they were not aware of any complaint by Venu Srinivasan until the Charity Commissioner’s direction was received.

According to the statement, Srinivasan had earlier acknowledged notices for the board meeting first scheduled for May 8 and later shifted to May 16.