Three trustees of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) have individually approached the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner afresh, seeking partial relief from the ban on board meetings so that the trust can take up urgent business, including matters related to the selection of the next Tata Sons chairman, people familiar with the matter said.
Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, trustees Darius Khambata and Jehangir HC Jehangir are believed to have written to the Charity Commissioner late last week after previous attempts to secure relief from the meeting ban failed.
Since the SRTT board itself cannot meet, the three are understood to have made the fresh appeals in their individual capacities as trustees. The other two trustees, Jimmy Tata and Venu Srinivasan, are believed not to have written to the charity authority.
“The trustees have appealed for lifting the ban so that the trust can carry out business on a regular basis. They have not sought relief for just one or two meetings, but have asked that the trust be allowed to meet for specific business,” one of the persons cited above said.
Among the most urgent matters is SRTT’s participation in the process of selecting a new chairman for Tata Sons, the group holding company.
Earlier this month, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran wrote to the company’s board saying he would not seek reappointment when his current term ends on February 20, 2027.
While the Tata Sons board has not commented on the development, the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), the other key promoter trust, said in a statement on August 13 that it had accepted Chandrasekaran’s communication and passed a resolution to initiate the formation of the Selection Committee that will choose his successor.
The formation of the five-member Selection Committee requires the participation of both SRTT and SDTT, which together nominate three members. With SRTT unable to convene a board meeting, the process of nominating members to the committee has been stalled.
Another matter requiring SRTT’s participation is the nomination of a joint representative of the Trusts for the Tata Sons FY26 annual general meeting. The AGM scheduled for August 18 had to be adjourned for lack of quorum after SRTT and SDTT were unable to jointly nominate a representative.
Tata Sons has since secured an extension from the Registrar of Companies (RoC), giving it until December 31 to hold the AGM.
The fresh appeal also reiterates the need to resume routine trust business, particularly the approval of philanthropic grants. In an earlier letter, Noel Tata had told the Charity Commissioner that the meeting ban had left grants worth nearly Rs 400 crore in limbo.
SRTT is also yet to close its accounts for FY26, according to people familiar with the matter. Approval of the accounts is therefore among the key items the trust would need to take up to meet its regulatory and compliance obligations.
The fresh approach effectively seeks a way for SRTT to conduct essential business while the larger issue that led to the restriction on its meetings remains unresolved.
Highlights
• Three of five SRTT trustees make fresh appeal to Charity Commissioner
• Seek relief to conduct specific and urgent trust business
• Previous attempts to secure relief from meeting ban were unsuccessful
• Tata Sons chairman selection process among key matters awaiting SRTT action
• Philanthropic grants of nearly Rs 400 crore remain in limbo
• SRTT also needs to approve its FY26 accounts