Mehli Mistry raises governance concerns over Sir Dorabji Tata Trust

Mehli Mistry, former trustee of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, has approached the Charity Commissioner in Mumbai alleging serious irregularities in the trust’s governance and calling for the appointment of an independent administrator.

The Hindu Businessline reported that in a formal submission, Mistry questioned the validity of recent appointments to the board, arguing they contravene provisions of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950. He contended that certain trustees were appointed in breach of Section 30A, a provision introduced in September 2025 to regulate tenure limits and restrict perpetual appointments.

The current board includes Noel Tata as chairman, Venu Srinivasan as vice-chairman, along with Vijay Singh, Darius Khambata, Bhaskar Bhat and Neville Tata. Bhaskar Bhat and Neville Tata were inducted following the exits of Mistry and Pramit Jhaveri earlier this year.

Despite challenging his removal, Mistry has stated he does not wish to return to the board, instead urging that the trust be overseen either by “competent and ethical trustees” or an external administrator.

He has also disputed the legitimacy of the board that decided against renewing his term, maintaining that the continued presence of certain trustees on a perpetual basis violates the updated legal framework. Additionally, he cited a 2024 resolution that, according to him, provided for reciprocal reappointments among trustees of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

Earlier this month, Mistry had separately objected to the inclusion of Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh as trustees of the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution, claiming they did not meet eligibility requirements related to community and residency specified in the trust deed.

The filing also raises allegations of conflict of interest. Mistry has accused Vijay Singh of receiving commissions and sitting fees amounting to Rs 20.13 crore from Tata Sons and other group entities, arguing that such financial benefits may be inconsistent with the fiduciary responsibilities of a trustee.

Responding briefly, Vijay Singh declined to comment, stating that the trust would address the matter before the regulator.

In a separate allegation, Mistry has questioned the conduct of Venu Srinivasan, claiming a potential conflict involving the engagement of Gerry McGovern, chief operating officer of Jaguar Land Rover’s Brand and Luxury division, as a consultant for Norton Motorcycles, a subsidiary of TVS Holdings.

Mistry has sought clarity on whether any payments were made to Jaguar Land Rover for these services, suggesting that such arrangements could breach fiduciary obligations given Srinivasan’s role as a trustee and his association with Tata Sons.

A senior official from the TVS group has rejected any wrongdoing, stating that the engagement had the knowledge of the late Ratan Tata and Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran, and was approved by senior leadership at Jaguar Land Rover. The official added that McGovern’s role was limited to mentoring the Norton brand.

The Tata Trusts had not issued an official response at the time of publication.