MUMBAI: In a major blow to the Tata Trusts, Maharashtra charity commissioner Amogh S Kaloti has directed the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, dogged by internal rifts and legal battles, to defer the board meeting scheduled for Saturday.
Kaloti has also ordered a probe into the affairs of the trusts that own 66.4 per cent of the Tata group.
The direction to defer the board meeting of the Sir Ratan Tata Trusts has been issued under section 36A(1) of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, following complaints dated April 18, 2026, by one advocate Katyayani Agrawal on behalf of Suresh Tulsiram Patikhede and another complaint filed by Tata Trusts vice-chairman Venu Srinivasan on April 28, 2026.
Not only did the charity commissioner stop the board meeting, but he has also directed the trusts not to hold any such meeting till submission of the report of the inspector's inquiry.
“The issues highlighted by Srinivasan and the advocate Agrawal are serious and require due consideration. An inspector's inquiry into these complaints has already been ordered, and a report of the inquiry is awaited. In case a meeting of the board of trustees is called, and any important decisions regarding the administration, management or composition of the trusts are taken during the pendency of the said inquiry, that would lead to further complications and multiplicity of the proceedings. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the trusts as well as in the interest of justice that such a meeting is deferred till submission of the report of the inspector's inquiry,” the order said Friday.
The trusts were originally to meet on May 8, but were postponed to May 16, even though the Bombay High Court refused an urgent listing on a writ petition by Patikhede and at the next hearing, the court questioned his locus in the case, leading to the withdrawal of the petition.
Patikhede's petition to the charity commissioner also alleges the same violations by the SRTT about the composition of the board of trustees, which has 50 per cent of its six trustees for life, while the rule allows only 25%.
Following this, Kaloti on May 13 ordered an ‘inspector inquiry’ under section 37, which has already been passed, and a report under section 39 is awaited.