Tata Trusts Row Deepens, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust And Bai Hirabai Challenge Mehli Mistry’s Right To Raise Governance Objections

Mumbai: The ongoing dispute within Tata Trusts has taken another turn, with two charitable trusts questioning the legal standing of Mehli Mistry, a close associate of the late Ratan Tata, to raise objections over their functioning and governance.

Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) and Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution have filed separate affidavits before the Charity Commissioner's office, arguing that Mistry no longer has the authority to challenge their decisions.

Trusts Question Mistry’s Legal Standing

According to the affidavits, Mistry's three-year tenure as a trustee ended on October 28, 2025. The trusts argued that his former position does not automatically give him the right to question their subsequent administration.

Mistry had reportedly approached the Charity Commissioner alleging governance lapses, conflicts of interest and irregularities in decision-making.

The trusts have requested that the Charity Commissioner's office first decide whether Mistry's objections are legally maintainable and fall within its jurisdiction before considering any investigation.

Separate Trusts, Separate Proceedings

SDTT has also opposed Mistry's request to combine proceedings involving different Tata charitable institutions.

It maintained that SDTT, Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) and Bai Hirabai are three independent public charitable trusts.

Each institution has its own governing documents, trustees, properties and financial accounts. Therefore, SDTT argued, their matters should not be examined through a single proceeding.

Noel Tata’s Eligibility Comes Under Scrutiny

Another major disagreement concerns the appointment of Noel Tata as the reporting trustee for Bai Hirabai.

The institution has sought to replace Vijay Singh, whose trusteeship ended earlier this year, with Noel Tata in proceedings relating to Mistry's complaints.

However, Mistry has questioned whether Noel Tata satisfies the eligibility conditions mentioned in the trust deed dated December 7, 1923.

He has asked the institution to submit an affidavit confirming that Noel meets the prescribed requirements.

Dispute Over Religion And Residence Rules

Mistry has cited Clauses 6 and 18 of the trust deed, which he says require trustees to be Parsis professing the Zoroastrian religion and permanent residents of Mumbai or Navsari.

He has alleged that some existing board members do not satisfy these conditions.

Bai Hirabai has rejected his interpretation, arguing that the restrictions conflict with the original Will and Codicil governing the institution and should not be enforced.

The dispute has brought the interpretation of the nearly century-old trust deed into focus.

November 5 Deadline For Reply

Mistry's representatives have been given until November 5 to respond to the affidavits filed by the trusts.

Meanwhile, in a separate hearing, Sir Ratan Tata Trust informed the Charity Commissioner's office about operational difficulties arising from its May 15 order restricting trust meetings.

The developments highlight continuing disagreements over governance, trustee eligibility and decision-making within the Tata charitable institutions.

The Charity Commissioner's decisions on these preliminary objections could determine how the disputes proceed.