Noel Tata and his son Neville Tata have filed a caveat petition in the Mumbai City Civil Court against fellow trustees of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), including Venu Srinivasan, Vijay Singh, Darius Khambata and Bhaskar Bhat, The Economic Times reported.
According to the report, approached the court on October 7, 2026.
The development comes amid a wider dispute over the governance and functioning of . Moreover, Tata Trusts entities other than SDTT have filed 84 caveats before the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner under Sections 41D, 41E and 67 of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, the report further mentioned.
What is the dispute
A caveat is a legal filing through which a party seeks to ensure that it is given an opportunity to be heard before a court passes an order in a matter concerning it.
The dispute came amid concerns raised by SDTT trustees and Singh over Noel Tata’s position and authority within the trust structure.
Srinivasan has sought scrutiny of Noel Tata’s appointment and continuation as a perpetual trustee, as well as the grounds on which he assumed and continues to hold the chairmanship of Tata Trusts, The Economic Times report mentioned further.
He has also sought curbs on Noel Tata’s participation and voting in SDTT decisions concerning the appointment or instructions of Tata Sons nominees, representatives or proxies.
Complaints filed on Sept 25
Noel Tata chairs Tata Trusts, which collectively hold a 66% stake in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. SDTT and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) together hold a 51.54% stake in Tata Sons.
According to reports, Srinivasan and Singh filed their complaints on September 25.
In his complaint, Srinivasan questioned the trust’s involvement in Tata Sons’ commercial matters. He also raised concerns over Noel Tata’s appointment as a perpetual trustee, his chairmanship of Tata Trusts and his role in key decisions.
According to ANI, Srinivasan objected to a circular resolution dated September 16 that allegedly sought to bar him, as a nominee director jointly appointed by SDTT and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), from participating in or voting on the proposed listing of Tata Sons.
The complaints followed a board meeting of Tata Sons last month where it passed a resolution backing N Chandrasekaran for another term. Noel Tata opposed the reappointment.