Maharashtra charity regulator orders Tata Trust board meeting deferral pending inquiry

Maharashtra’s charity commissioner has ordered Tata Trusts’ Sir Ratan Tata Trust to defer a board meeting scheduled for Saturday, citing a pending inspector inquiry into alleged violations of statutory rules governing the composition of the trust’s board. The order, issued by Amogh S Kaloti, directs the trust not to hold any such meetings until the inspector’s report is submitted.

The meeting had been moved from May 8 to May 16, and was expected to cover issues affecting Tata Sons, the Tata Group’s holding company. According to the trust group’s internal timetable, matters such as the possible listing of Tata Sons and the reappointment of Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, along with other nominee directors, were reported to be on the agenda.

The commissioner’s directive was linked to complaints filed earlier this year. In communications dated April 18 and April 28, an advocate, Katyayani Agrawal, raised concerns about the Sir Ratan Tata Trust’s board composition, and Tata Trusts vice chairman Venu Srinivasan also made a complaint. The regulator said an inspector inquiry had already been ordered and that decisions taken during the inquiry could lead to further complications...