Maharashtra Charity Commissioner directs Tata Trusts to postpone board meeting

Tata Trusts on Friday said the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner directed it to defer its May 16 board meeting without granting the Sir Ratan Tata Trust any prior notice or hearing, according to a statement shared by ANI.

The Trust said the direction was issued “ex parte” in connection with complaints challenging the composition of the Board of Trustees of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. It also noted that the Bombay High Court had earlier this week disposed of as withdrawn a petition seeking to restrain the same board meeting.

In a statement shared by ANI on X, Tata Trusts said the direction was issued “ex parte”, without prior notice or a hearing being granted to the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

The dispute stems from a complaint filed by Katyayani Agrawal alleging that three of the six trustees of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust are permanent trustees, which may violate amended provisions under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950. The amended law, introduced in 2025, caps perpetual or life trustees at one-fourth of the total number of trustees in a public trust.

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The development brings fresh scrutiny to the governance structure of one of India’s largest philanthropic institutions, with Tata Trusts maintaining that the amended provisions are prospective in nature and do not apply to appointments made before September 1, 2025. The Trust said its interpretation is backed by legal opinions and clarifications obtained by it.

Tata Trusts also noted that the Bombay High Court on May 13 disposed of a related writ petition as withdrawn. The petition had sought to restrain the same board meeting on the basis of Agrawal’s complaint.

It said the Charity Commissioner’s direction also referred to a separate complaint allegedly filed by trustee Venu Srinivasan in connection with the board meeting.

Tata Trusts said it was unaware of any such complaint until it received the Commissioner’s communication. According to the statement, Srinivasan had earlier acknowledged notices for both the original May 8 board meeting and the rescheduled May 16 meeting.

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“The directions received from the Office of Charity Commissioner are being examined by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust,” the statement said.

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