Tata Trusts said Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), a major Tata Sons shareholder, filed a reply with the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner on Oct. 19 to governance complaints from two trustees.
SDTT owns 27.98% of Tata Sons, while Sir Ratan Tata Trust holds 23.56%, The Indian Express reported. The dispute concerns the governance of a trust with a substantial stake in the holding company.
ANI reported that SDTT trustees Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh asked the regulator to examine the trust’s administration. Their complaints raised questions about trustee appointments and SDTT’s involvement in Tata Sons’ commercial and strategic affairs. The Indian Express reported that the complaints also questioned the basis for Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata’s position.
The commissioner extended SDTT’s deadline to respond from Oct. 12 to Oct. 19, ANI reported. Tata Trusts confirmed that the reply was filed but declined to release its contents. SDTT denied the allegations, according to The Indian Express, which did not detail the trust’s arguments.
Separately, Tata Trusts said in a Sept. 28 announcement that it had asked the Tata Sons board to consider mergers that would bring Tata Electronics Systems Solutions Private Limited and Tata Consulting Engineers into Tata Sons. It said the proposed reorganization was intended to preserve Tata Sons’ status as an unlisted private company.
