Mehli Mistry stepped down as a trustee in three trusts last October after members voted against his reappointment
The Charity Commissioner of Maharashtra will hear Tata Trusts’ response to the complaint filed by former trustee Mehli Mistry on September 8. Mistry had raised issues related to governance and alleged misconduct by trustees in his objection to a change report filed by the Tata Trusts before the Charity Commissioner. Mistry stepped down as a trustee in three trusts last October after members voted against his reappointment. Subsequently, Tata Trusts filed a change report notifying the Charity Commissioner about the end of Mistry’s term. On Monday, lawyers representing Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust sought six weeks to file their response to the objections raised by Mistry. The lawyers also pointed out that Mistry took 3-5 months to file the objections. While Mistry’s lawyer sought an early hearing, the assistant and deputy charity commissioners hearing the matter granted Tata Trusts time till September 8. One of Mistry’s objections pertains to the composition of the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution whose trust deed explicitly states that its trustees will be from Parsi Zoroastrian faith and residents of Mumbai or Navsari region. Tata Trust has been appointing non-Zoroastrians on the trust since 2000, based on legal opinion received from a former Chief Justice of India. In his objection to the change report, Mistry said fellow trustees Vijay Singh and Venu Srinivasan do not qualify as trustees. While Srinivasan resigned from Bai Hirabai Trust in April, Mistry has sought a direction to all trustees to submit whether they are compliant with qualification criteria. Published on July 27, 2026
