A former trustee has raised concerns over Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata’s authority to send a proposal to Tata Sons, without consulting the board of either of the key trusts.
Earlier this week, when Tata Trusts addressed the media, it was implied that Noel Tata, as chairman of both Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), and Sir Dorabji tata Trust (SDTT), was authorised to work on finding a solution that will allow Tata Sons to remain privately held.
It was further implied that this authority was the result of a resolution taken by the two trusts in July 2025.
“The July 2025 resolution was about keeping Tata Sons unlisted, and to direct its chairman N Chandrasekaran to take all steps necessary to ensure the same. There was no special authority granted to the Trusts chairman in this regard,” the former trustee said.
The concerns were raised after two trustees of SDTT – Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh – complained of irregular appointment of perpetual trustees and governance issues at the trust.
The two have also written to the other trustees on SDTT and SRTT flagging their exclusion from the proposal to Tata Sons. The two claimed that no board meeting was called, and none of the other trustees were informed of the same.
Tata Trusts, when it announced the proposal to merge two Tata group companies into Tata Sons and effectively change its status from a holding company to a holding-cum-operating company, had said that the rest of the trustees would be sent the proposal in the coming days. It accepted that the scheme had not yet been shared with the other trustees.
The question of trustee approval was raised when Tata Trusts said it had sent said proposal to Tata Sons since SRTT has been under a board meeting ban since May of this year.