Tata Trusts vice chairman Vijay Singh has accused a group of trustees of engineering his removal from the Tata Sons board in a deliberate, coordinated effort to alter the Trusts’ long-standing governance equilibrium.
Singh, who exited in September after four trustees opposed his reappointment, as cited in an Economic Times report, has said that the move “was pre-planned” and executed despite his willingness to step aside earlier.
“The 11 September meeting was orchestrated to oust me… The episode was well planned if not plotted,” he said in his first public remarks on the dispute.
Singh rejected the argument that his exit was linked to internal resistance over a potential listing of Tata Sons. “The listing question had already been comprehensively addressed,” he has been quoted.
An internal note from trustee Darius Khambata had earlier claimed that nominating Mehli Mistry to the Tata Sons board was necessary to “strengthen the collective voice” against listing. Singh countered that rationale as “an afterthought,” pointing out that both the Trusts and the Tata Sons board had already formally debated the issue.
According to Singh, the months preceding his removal were marked by sharp disagreements, with a trio of trustees seeking access to Tata Sons’ board agendas, minutes and internal deliberations, information he said had “never before been shared with trustees”.
He also said the tone directed at Trusts chairman Noel Tata had deteriorated. Remarks such as “I made you chairman” or threats to oppose him at the AGM reflected “a clear break from past conduct,” Singh has stated, praising Noel Tata’s “forbearance and dignity”.
The fallout has reshaped the Trusts’ leadership.
Mehli Mistry, whom Singh viewed as central to his ouster, was voted out in October, while veteran executive Bhaskar Bhat and Neville Tata have been inducted.
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