Trusteeship renewals spark fresh tensions at ₹5,000 crore Tata Education Trust

Mumbai: Tensions have begun to surface over impending trusteeship renewals at the Tata Education and Development Trust (TEDT), a key Tata philanthropic trust that does not hold a stake in Tata Sons, sources said. The terms of trustees Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh are due for renewal in about two months but may not be cleared, as extensions require unanimous approval of the board.

Mehli Mistry, a life trustee of TEDT, is likely to block the proposed renewals, sources said. Officials familiar with the matter said a non-renewal would indicate that the hostility and bitterness among trustees have not abated. At a recent TEDT meeting, Mehli Mistry had raised the issue of scrapping the post of vice-chairman across Tata Trusts, arguing that there is no provision for such a role in the trust deed.

The other trustees-Noel Tata, Mehli Mistry and Jehangir Mistry-hold life terms, heightening the sensitivity around the upcoming renewals.

The issue has acquired added significance following a 2025 ordinance notified by the Maharashtra government that tightened governance norms for public trusts and increased scrutiny of trustee appointments and renewals.

Tata Trusts did not comment.

Mehli Mistry had stepped down as a trustee of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust after his reappointment was not approved by a majority of trustees on October 28 last year. The conflict among trustees has continued since the September 2025 controversy, when a chain of events led to the exit of multiple trustees amid sharp differences.

Commenting on the regulatory impact, Ashish Singh, managing partner at Capstone Legal, said that as a result of the ordinance, trusts would need to take a decision on the nature of appointments for members whose renewal is due. "If trustees are appointed for life, the number of lifetime trustees cannot exceed 25% of the total trustees. He added that the requirement for unanimous consent would, in any case, have arisen even without the Maharashtra ordinance" he said.

TEDT, set up about a decade ago, oversees an estimated corpus of around ₹5,000 crore and focuses on higher education, scholarships and capacity building.