Tata Trust announces Bai Hirabai Trust will revise exclusive trustee clauses limiting eligibility to Zoroastrians.

The Bai Hirabai Trust convened a meeting on April 17, chaired by Noel Tata, and has resolved to amend the deed that currently prevents Non-Zoroastrians from serving as trustees.

Bai Hirabai Trust To Remove Restrictive Clause 

Following a period of upheaval at Tata Trust after Venu Srinivasan’s exit from the Bai Hirabai Trust, the trust has released a statement indicating a significant shift.
In their statement, Tata Trusts confirmed that the Board of Trustees for the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution, better known as the Bai Hirabai Trust, held a meeting on April 17, 2026, under the leadership of Noel N. Tata, Chairman of Tata Trusts.

The Bai Hirabai Trust was established under the 1916 Codicil of Sir Ratan Tata’s Will, who passed away in 1918. This Codicil did not impose any restrictions regarding ethnicity, race, or religion for Trustees. Additionally, it specified that the Trustees of Sir Ratan Tata’s Will, who were also Trustees of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) created by his Will, would also serve as Trustees of the Bai Hirabai Trust.

In 2015, the objectives of the Bai Hirabai Trust were expanded to include the general public as beneficiaries of the Trust’s activities. There are no restrictions on the qualifications for Trusteeship within the SRTT, the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), or any other Tata Trust.

Amending 1923 Deed 

However, it is noted that the Trust Deed established in 1923 by the then Trustees included restrictive clauses that, among other things, barred non-Zoroastrians from being Trustees of the Bai Hirabai Trust. These restrictions were not specified in Sir Ratan Tata’s Codicil.

The statement highlighted that non-Zoroastrians have been consistently appointed to the Trust since the year 2000, following a legal opinion from a former Chief Justice of India. The Trustees emphasized that Bai Hirabai is a non-shareholding trust with a minimal asset base and limited operations.

To ‘correct the anomalies’, the board has decided to initiate proceedings before the relevant authority to amend the restrictive clauses concerning the eligibility of Trustees.

The Trustees reaffirmed their complete trust and confidence in the Chief Executive Officer and his management of the Tata Trusts.

This development follows a dispute within the Trust, where former trustee Mehli Mistry contested the eligibility of Venu Srinivasan and fellow trustee Vijay Singh, citing their lack of permanent residence in Mumbai and their Parsi Zoroastrian faith.

 

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