Tata Trusts Seeks Change in Trustee Eligibility Norms Amid Controversy

Tata Trusts said on Sunday that the trustees of the Bai Hirabai Trust have decided to initiate proceedings before the appropriate authority to amend restrictive provisions in the eligibility criteria (such as the prohibition on non-Jews becoming trustees). This development comes just days after former Tata Trustee Mehli Mistry, in a complaint to the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner, challenged the appointment of veteran industrialist Venu Srinivasan and former Defense Secretary Vijay Singh to the board of the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution (Bai Hirabai Trust).

Mistry had claimed that Srinivasan and Singh did not meet the criteria set out in the trust deed, which included adherence to the Parsi Zoroastrian religion and specific conditions of residence in Mumbai. Earlier this month, Tata Trusts trustee Venu Srinivasan resigned from the Bai Hirabai Trust, citing business commitments, but later admitted that he had stepped down at the request of the Tata Trusts management.

In a statement, Tata Trusts said that the Board of Trustees of the Bai Hirabai Trust met on April 17, 2026, under the chairmanship of Tata Trusts Chairman Noel N. Tata. The meeting reviewed the activities of the Trust and discussed recent media statements related to the Trust.