Vijay Singh’s forced exit at Tata Sons bares a deep divide at Tata Trusts

Trusts hold the remaining 14.38%.

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The dispute, which began after Ratan Tata’s death last October, centres on what the four trustees of the Tata Trusts call a lack of transparency.

The vote to remove Singh from Tata Sons followed a discussion on the sixth and last resolution tabled at the meeting: “To discuss matters related to Trusts’ representation on the Tata Sons’ Board.”

Earlier, Tata Trusts did not have a mandatory retirement age for its nominees on the Tata Sons board. That changed last year—at a board meeting of the Tata Trusts on 17 October last year, the trustees agreed to review the performance of representatives who are over 75 years old. Therefore, Singh’s performance, as a 77-year-old nominee, was slated for discussion.

Four trustees, including Khambata, Jhaveri, Mistry and Jehangir, believe there are now two types of Tata Trustees. Some are privy to the decisions made by Tata Sons; others are not.

Divisions have existed since October 2024, according to Jhaveri, who said that information from Tata Sons has been redacted and details about things like Article 121A have not been shared.