3 min readMumbaiApr 8, 2026 01:21 AM IST
First published on: Apr 8, 2026 at 01:21 AM IST
Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata had last week told CEO Siddharth Sharma to ask Vijay Singh and Venu Srinivasan if they would like to voluntarily step down from the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution (BHJTNCI), as they felt that irrespective of the legal opinion and past precedent, it was open to anyone to question the appointments of non- Zoroastrians made to the Trust, a source in the Tata group said.
Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus of TVS Motor, stepped down from the Bai Hirabai, following a request from Sharma. However, Vijay Singh declined to quit.
CEO Sharma had discussed the continuation of Srinivasan and Singh in the Trust with Noel Tata on April 2, 2026, and they felt that in view of the specific clauses contained in the Trust Deed, it was open to anyone to question the appointments of non- Zoroastrians in the Trust.
Former Chief Justice of India HJ Kania had earlier expressed the considered view that there was no legal or doctrinal prohibition preventing non-Zoroastrians from being inducted as members of the trust.
Tata Trusts is apparently sticking to its stand that Bai Hirabai specifically prohibited non-Zoroastrian trustees on the Trust, as also those who were not resident in the Bombay Presidency or Navsari.
Both Noel and Sharma took a stand that a legal opinion cannot be a substitute for a judicial pronouncement, sources said.
Vijay Singh and Venu Srinivasan were the only two Trustees on the said Trust who did not meet these criteria.
Srinivasan’s resignation came shortly after former Sir Ratan Tata trustee Mehli Mistry formally challenged the appointment and continuation of Srinivasan and Vijay Singh before the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner as both of them happen to be non-Zoroastrians.
Meanwhile, the Charity Commissioner of Maharashtra has written to Tata Trusts regarding the affidavit filed by Mehli Mistry.
Sharma called up Venu Srinivasan on April 2, conveying to him this position, as also the fact that a legal opinion had previously been taken on this subject.
Tata sources said in Justice Kania’s opinion, the governing framework of the trust did not impose any explicit restriction barring such appointments, thereby leaving room for a broader and more inclusive interpretation of eligibility for trusteeship.
In line with this understanding, RK Krishnakumar, who was a Director of Tata Sons and several Tata companies, was subsequently appointed as a trustee in the year 2000, during the tenure of Ratan Tata as the head of the Tata Trusts.
This appointment was seen as a practical affirmation of the earlier view, demonstrating that the trust was willing to adopt a more expansive approach in its governance practices.
Venu Srinivasan 
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