Darius Khambata says pressure was exerted to defer Noel Tata’s 2024 appointment as Tata Trusts chairman after Ratan Tata’s death.

Senior advocate Darius Khambata has said there was internal pressure to postpone Noel Tata’s appointment as chairman of Tata Trusts following the death of Ratan Tata in October 2024, offering a rare account of discussions inside the powerful philanthropic organisation that controls a majority stake in Tata Sons.

Khambata said he nevertheless backed Noel Tata’s appointment when the decision came before the trustees. In a letter dated November 2 and addressed to Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and chief executive Siddharth Sharma, Khambata said fellow trustee Mehli Mistry had proposed Noel’s appointment and that he had seconded it despite pressure to delay the move.

“I’m glad that Mehli proposed and I seconded Noel’s appointment as Chairman in October 2024, despite pressure to defer,” Khambata wrote, according to the account outlined in the letter.

The disclosure adds a new dimension to the events that followed Ratan Tata’s death on October 9, 2024. Two days later, on October 11, the trustees unanimously appointed Noel Tata as chairman of the Tata Trusts with immediate effect.

The official announcement described the decision as unanimous. Khambata’s account now suggests that the process leading to that decision involved competing views over whether the appointment should proceed immediately or be deferred.

Noel Tata had already served as a trustee of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust before taking over as chairman. His appointment placed him at the centre of the charitable institutions that have historically played a major role in the governance and direction of the wider Tata group.

The Tata Trusts collectively hold around 66 percent of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group. That ownership gives the trusts substantial influence over one of India’s largest business groups and makes disagreements within the trusts significant beyond the philanthropic sector.

Khambata’s letter also disclosed his role in the later appointment of Noel Tata’s son, Neville Tata, as a trustee. Khambata said he had proposed Neville’s induction into the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust on November 11, 2025.

The board subsequently unanimously approved Neville’s appointment along with former Titan Company managing director Bhaskar Bhat. Both were appointed for a three year term beginning November 12.

Neville Tata had already joined the Tata Social Welfare Trust and the RD Tata Trust in May 2024, according to the Tata Trusts annual report for 2024 and 2025. His subsequent induction into the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust came during a period of changes in the composition of the boards.

Those changes included the departure of Mehli Mistry, whose reappointment had faced opposition from some trustees. The developments have drawn attention to differences within the institutions responsible for overseeing a major portion of the Tata group’s ownership structure.

Khambata also addressed wider disagreements involving the future of Tata Sons, including the question of whether the company should be listed. He said his views had at times differed from those of other trustees, including Noel Tata, but praised the chairman for accepting differences of opinion.

“My stand and approach have at times differed from others’, including Noel’s; I appreciate Noel’s democratic acceptance of this. That is the old Tata way,” he wrote.

The senior advocate, who said he had been appointed as a trustee at Ratan Tata’s invitation, also announced that he would step down and would not seek reappointment to the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

Khambata said the law required the consent of all other trustees for his reappointment and argued that seeking such consent could affect his independence.

“That is a consent that it is not in my character to seek as it would compromise my independence to do so,” he wrote.

His letter comes at a sensitive time for Tata Trusts, which remains a powerful force because of its majority shareholding in Tata Sons and its influence over the governance of the wider Tata group. The disclosures provide an unusually direct glimpse into the debates, differences and competing positions that have emerged inside the trusts since the death of Ratan Tata.

While Noel Tata’s appointment was ultimately unanimous, Khambata’s account suggests that the decision was preceded by disagreement over timing. It also highlights how questions of succession, trustee appointments and the future direction of Tata Sons continue to shape discussions within one of India’s most influential philanthropic institutions.