Tata Trusts infighting roils group, ends in uneasy truce

Less than a year after the death of Ratan Tata, the 156-year-old Tata Group witnessed a fresh bout of internal turbulence in 2025, as infighting within Tata Trusts—its powerful philanthropic arm—spilled into the public domain.

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‘Though far less dramatic than the Tata-Mistry boardroom battle of 2016, the episode unsettled the governance framework of India’s most valuable conglomerate.

The focus this time was Tata Trusts, which exerts decisive influence over Tata Sons through its nearly 66 per cent stake.

‘The conflict pitted Noel Tata, Ratan Tata's stepbrother and chairman of Tata Trusts since October 2024, against Mehli Mistry, a trustee with links to the Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) family, which owns about 18.37 per cent of Tata Sons.

Usually low-profile, Tata Trusts made headlines repeatedly as details of sharp divisions among trustees emerged. The dispute escalated to the government, underscoring the Tata Group’s economic significance.