The Bombay High Court on Wednesday disposed of a Public Interest Litigation challenging the board composition and life trustee structure of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust after the petitioner chose to withdraw the plea.
The petition had questioned the legality of the Trust’s current structure, alleging that the number of life trustees exceeded the limit prescribed under the Maharashtra Public Trust (Second Amendment) Act, 2025. The petitioner, Suresh Tulsiram Patilkhede, had sought judicial intervention against the functioning of the Trust’s board and requested that decisions taken by the board after September 1, 2025 be declared invalid.
During the hearing, the Bombay High Court orally observed that the petitioner lacked the necessary legal standing, or locus standi, to maintain the plea. The Court also noted concerns regarding the fairness of the petition before permitting its withdrawal.
The dispute revolved around the composition of the board of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, one of the principal entities within Tata Trusts. The petitioner had argued that the Trust allegedly violated provisions introduced through the Maharashtra Public Trust (Second Amendment) Act, 2025, which places restrictions on the number of life trustees permitted where the trust deed does not expressly allow perpetual trustees.
According to the plea, the Trust currently has six trustees, including Noel Tata, Jimmy Tata and Jehangir H C Jehangir as life trustees, which the petitioner claimed exceeded the permissible statutory limit.
Earlier, the High Court had declined to urgently stay a scheduled board meeting of the Trust and had observed that the matter did not warrant immediate intervention.
The litigation had attracted attention due to the significant role played by Tata Trusts in the governance of Tata Sons, in which the charitable trusts collectively hold a majority stake. Reports indicated that discussions regarding board representation and governance issues were expected to be part of the Trust’s scheduled meetings.
