New Delhi, September 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is representing Tata Trusts in its escalating dispute with Tata Sons, has said that the fundamental rights of shareholders cannot be diluted or nullified, warning that any such move could have broader implications for corporate governance in Indian companies.
Singhvi said that, as counsel representing one side in the dispute, his focus would remain on the fundamental legal questions involved. He maintained that shareholder rights must not be undermined in a manner that weakens established principles of corporate governance.
“To dilute or nullify the rights of owners who are shareholders would spell doomsday for hundreds and thousands of Indian companies for corporate governance,” Singhvi said.
He also raised concerns over what he described as a sudden order by the charity commissioner that prevented one of the trusts from convening a meeting to decide its course of action.
According to Singhvi, attempts to “stymie decision-making and to freeze action” within the trust amounted to undermining democratic decision-making within the charitable organisation.
The senior advocate also highlighted the longstanding relationship between Tata Trusts and Tata Sons, describing it as one built over more than a century and shaped by established practices.
He said treating Tata Trusts and Tata Sons as completely separate entities, while rupturing that longstanding relationship, was “legally or otherwise unthinkable”.
Singhvi also expressed personal sadness over the intensifying dispute, referring to his association with the Tata group and its former chairman Ratan Tata.
“Having worked closely with Ratan Tata, having seen the legacy of the Tata group at close quarters, both trust and companies, knowing not only all the principal actors on each side closely, but also having excellent equations with them, having genuine abiding respect for each side’s people, my first reaction is one of sadness,” he said.
The dispute between Tata Trusts and Tata Sons has brought questions surrounding shareholder rights, governance arrangements and the relationship between the charitable trusts and the holding company into sharper focus.
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