Mehli Mistry resigns from Tata-funded animal hospital too; Vijay Singh earlier revealed Tata Trusts secrets

Kolkata: The developments around Mehli Mistry and the Tata empire just doesn't seem to end. Reports now reveal that Mistry, once a confidante of Ratan Tata, who was eased out of the Tata Trusts has also stepped down from Small Animal Hospital Trust in Mumbai. It was founded by Ratan Tata and runs the country's largest tertiary care hospital for pets. A few days earlier, Tata Trusts vice chairman Vijay Singh revealed to the media how the developments took place that culminated in the exit of Mehli Mistry, who was once a confidante of Ratan Tata.

Vijay Singh, who was a former defence secretary, has stated that the character of the Tata Trusts will be restored now. These trusts have always consisted of senior and experienced members of the group. Now younger members of the Tata family are also in the process of being included in these august groups. Significantly, Singh was a nominee director of the Tata Trusts on the board of Tata Sons. However, he resigned in September 2025 after four trustees opposed his reappointment. Vijay Singh remarked that his removal could e traced to a group of trustees who wanted to change the relationship between Tata Trusts and Tata Sons.

In a sense, the exit of Singh set in motion differences among the trustees, which paved the way for months of tensions that required Union cabinet ministers to step in to defuse the tension. In a recent media interview, Vijay Singh described his move as "pre-planned." He also did not agree to the view that it was to challenge the regulatory order to list Tata Sons. "I cannot comment on Darius Khambatta's intentions, but the truth is that the issue of listing had already been fully discussed," said Singh.

Mistry's reappintment to the Tata Trusts was opposed by trustees Noel Tata, Vijay Singh and Venkat Srinivasan. Mistry has not made any comments about his ouster in public.

Darius Khambatta (former additional solicitor general and advocate general) circulated an internal note to trustees where he said that his decision to support the proposal to nominate Mehli Mistry as a nominee on the Tata Sons board was linked to the proposed listing of Tata Sons. It would make the voice of the trusts stronger in opposing listing of Tata Sons.

Singh said, "Three trustees had previously tried to upset the governance balance that had existed for decades, while the same people did not raise a single issue related to Tata Sons in the last two years of Ratan Tata's life... I do not know whether Mehli Mistry and his associates wanted to control Tata Sons or not, but they certainly sought information that had never been shared with the trustees before," Singh was quoted as saying.

Vijay Singh also said that there wee developments in the Tata Trusts which were not in sync with the climate in these trusts. Comments such as "I made you chairman" and "I will vote against you at the AGM," made by a trustee vis-a-vis Noel Tata was a clear departure from earlier norms. But Noel Tata displayed great fortitude and dignity.

Singh also said that the trust passed formal resolutions stating its position. On July 8 this yar, the trustees met with the chairman of Tata Sons (N Chandrasekharan)for a discussion, where listing of Tata Sons was the key issue of discussion. The Tata Sons board authorised the chairman to rid the company of debts to avoid listing.

September 11 ushered in a stormy meeting at the Tata Trusts and from that date governance environment at the trusts changed, clamed Singh. At a meeting on October 28, Mehli Mistry's reappointment to Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust was scuttled by majority vote. Sir Dorabji Tata Trust board later inducted Tata executives Bhaskar Bhat and Neville Tata (who is Noel Tata's son). Also Venu Srinivasan's life term as trustee was reduced to three years following new regulations in Maharashtra.

Vijay Singh was appointed to the board of Tata Sons by Ratan Tata in 2013 and reappointed in 2022. Singh said that Ratan Tata got the articles amended to remove the age limit so that he could serve a full term.