Tata Trusts row deepens as Venu Srinivasan exits Bai Hirabai Trust amid eligibility challenge

Venu Srinivasan, chairman emeritus of TVS Motor Company and vice chairman and trustee across several Tata Trusts, has resigned from the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution, citing preoccupation with other business commitments.

The resignation comes against the backdrop of an escalating dispute within the Trust, with former trustee Mehli Mistry challenging the eligibility of Srinivasan and fellow trustee Vijay Singh.

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Sources said Mistry, in an objection application filed before the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner, has contended that the two trustees “never met the qualifications to be appointed as trustees to the Bai Hira Bai trust and stand expressly disqualified under the Trust Deed.”

Mistry has argued that, under Clauses 6 and 18 of the Trust Deed, any such disqualified trustee must be treated as "deemed dead." He specifically claims that Venu and Vijay have never been of the Parsi Zoroastrian faith and do not have permanent residence in Mumbai. Thus, they are deemed to attract automatic disqualification.

On this basis, Mistry has sought a suo motu inquiry by the state’s Charity Commissioner and requested that all trustees be directed to file affidavits confirming their eligibility.

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The Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution, established in 1923, is among the allied Tata Trusts and focuses on supporting Parsi and community welfare in Navsari, Gujarat, particularly in education and healthcare. It shares a common board of trustees with the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

The latest development adds to tensions within the Trusts. In February 2026, Mistry—then a trustee of the Tata Education and Development Trust—had raised objections to a separate proposal to scrap the vice-chairman position across Tata Trusts, arguing that the Trust Deed contains no provision for such a role.

Srinivasan’s exit from the Bai Hirabai Trust now comes amid this widening governance tussle within one of India’s most influential philanthropic networks.