Petition seeks stay of crucial Tata Trusts meeting in Bombay High Court
Tata Trusts meeting: The petition has also sought a declaration that all decisions taken by the present board after September 1, 2025, should be treated as invalid on the same grounds.
- May 7, 2026,
- Updated May 7, 2026 9:57 AM IST
The Bombay High Court will hear a writ petition filed that has sought the cancellation of an important Tata Trusts meeting scheduled for Friday, arguing that one of its constituents, Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), is in violation of a September 2025 amendment to the laws governing trusts in Maharashtra.
According to a report in The Economic Times, the petition has also sought a declaration that all decisions taken by the present board after September 1, 2025, should be treated as invalid on the same grounds.
The petition, filed by Suresh Tulsiram Patilkhede under Article 226 of the Constitution, says SRTT's current board composition breaches statutory limits introduced under the Maharashtra Public Trust (Second Amendment) Act, 2025. If the court grants an immediate hearing and interim relief, the Tata Trusts meeting, which has implications for the governance of Tata Sons, would have to be put on hold.
According to the petition, the agenda for the meeting includes reconsideration of the Trusts' representation on the board of Tata Sons. At present, the Trusts' nominees on the Tata Sons board are Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and vice chairman Venu Srinivasan. SRTT holds 23.56% equity in Tata Sons, while Tata Trusts together own 66%.
The Maharashtra Public Trusts (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, caps the number of perpetual trustees at one-fourth of a trust's total strength where the trust deed is silent on the issue or contains no specific provision on it. The rule took effect from September 1, 2025, and requires existing trusts to maintain the cap at all times.
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The petition says SRTT currently has six trustees, of whom three, Jimmy Naval Tata, Jehangir HC Jehangir and Noel Naval Tata, serve as life trustees. It argues that this means life trustees make up 50% of the board, above the statutory ceiling of 25%.
According to the plea, if SRTT wants to retain three life trustees, it would need to expand its board to 12 members, while a six-member board can accommodate only one life trustee. Jimmy Tata, brother of the late group patriarch Ratan Tata, is the longest-serving life trustee, having been appointed in 1989.
Patilkhede has asked the court to grant an ex parte interim injunction restraining the trust and its trustees from holding the proposed board meeting on May 8 and from passing any resolution with the present constitution of the board until it is reconstituted in line with the Act.
The Bombay High Court will hear a writ petition filed that has sought the cancellation of an important Tata Trusts meeting scheduled for Friday, arguing that one of its constituents, Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), is in violation of a September 2025 amendment to the laws governing trusts in Maharashtra.
According to a report in The Economic Times, the petition has also sought a declaration that all decisions taken by the present board after September 1, 2025, should be treated as invalid on the same grounds.
The petition, filed by Suresh Tulsiram Patilkhede under Article 226 of the Constitution, says SRTT's current board composition breaches statutory limits introduced under the Maharashtra Public Trust (Second Amendment) Act, 2025. If the court grants an immediate hearing and interim relief, the Tata Trusts meeting, which has implications for the governance of Tata Sons, would have to be put on hold.
According to the petition, the agenda for the meeting includes reconsideration of the Trusts' representation on the board of Tata Sons. At present, the Trusts' nominees on the Tata Sons board are Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and vice chairman Venu Srinivasan. SRTT holds 23.56% equity in Tata Sons, while Tata Trusts together own 66%.
The Maharashtra Public Trusts (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, caps the number of perpetual trustees at one-fourth of a trust's total strength where the trust deed is silent on the issue or contains no specific provision on it. The rule took effect from September 1, 2025, and requires existing trusts to maintain the cap at all times.
MUST READ | Tata Trusts: Battle lines drawn, upcoming meeting will determine composition
The petition says SRTT currently has six trustees, of whom three, Jimmy Naval Tata, Jehangir HC Jehangir and Noel Naval Tata, serve as life trustees. It argues that this means life trustees make up 50% of the board, above the statutory ceiling of 25%.
According to the plea, if SRTT wants to retain three life trustees, it would need to expand its board to 12 members, while a six-member board can accommodate only one life trustee. Jimmy Tata, brother of the late group patriarch Ratan Tata, is the longest-serving life trustee, having been appointed in 1989.
Patilkhede has asked the court to grant an ex parte interim injunction restraining the trust and its trustees from holding the proposed board meeting on May 8 and from passing any resolution with the present constitution of the board until it is reconstituted in line with the Act.