Tata Trusts granted extension to respond to governance complaints

The Maharashtra Charity Commissioner has granted Tata Trusts and its chairman, Noel Tata, an extension until October 19 to respond to complaints regarding the administration and governance of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT). The original deadline for a response was October 12.

The complaints were filed by trustees Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh, who have raised allegations concerning the governance of the trust and the level of involvement the trusts have in the commercial and strategic affairs of Tata Sons. Specifically, Srinivasan has alleged that the Tata Trusts have assumed a direct role in negotiating and implementing substantial commercial transactions for Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group.

The dispute also involves disagreements over whether Tata Sons should remain a privately held company or pursue a public listing. Senior trustees, including Noel N Tata and Darius J Khambata, have previously accused Srinivasan and Singh of breaching fiduciary duties by publicly supporting a listing, which they argue contradicts established board resolutions to maintain the company's unlisted status.