Tata boardroom tussle: After Venu Srinivasan, Vijay Singh writes to charity commissioner; flags SDTT’s interference with Tata Sons

Tata boardroom tussle: Vijay Singh, vice chairman of Tata Trusts and trustee of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), has approached the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner with concerns similar to those raised by Venu Srinivasan. Singh has sought an inquiry into the governance of the trust and its role in the commercial and strategic affairs of Tata Sons.

According to a report in The Economic Times, Singh said, "I have written to the charity commissioner around the same time as Venu Srinivasan, expressing similar concerns.”

Srinivasan had requested inquiries into governance matters, the status of Noel Tata as a perpetual trustee, and the appointment of Neville Tata as a trustee.

MUST READ | Venu Srinivasan challenges Noel Tata’s chairmanship of Tata Trusts, seeks scrutiny of perpetual trustee status

Singh also called for an inquiry into Srinivasan’s exclusion from decision-making processes. In his letter, he noted that SDTT’s significant shareholding in Tata Sons should not mean the trust acts as a commercial enterprise or directly participates in Tata Sons' business affairs.

He highlighted potential tax implications from such involvement, warning that the substantial shareholding's consequences for the trust and its charitable corpus could be significant.

The submissions from Srinivasan and Singh are currently under consideration by the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner.

DON'T MISS | Venu Srinivasan seeks inquiry into Tata Trusts’ governance, alleges lapses: Report

In May, Maharashtra Charity Commissioner Amogh S Kaloti directed the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) board to postpone its meeting scheduled for May 16. The commissioner also instructed the board not to hold any meetings until an inspector's report is submitted. This followed complaints about the board's composition and alleged non-compliance with Section 30A(2) of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act.