Tata tussle: Noel Tata goes to court with caveats

Mumbai: Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and his son Neville have filed caveats in city courts in the row surrounding Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh, sources said on Wednesday. The caveats filed in the Bombay High Court and also in the Mumbai City Civil Court will ensure that they are heard before the passing of any orders. Both the father and son moved the courts with their caveats on October 7, as per official records.

Srinivasan and Singh had filed complaints against Noel and Neville Tata with the Maharahstra Charity Commissioner, alleging governance lapses and irregularities at some of the Tata Trusts. Noel and Neville had earlier filed similar caveats at the charity commissioner's office, according to reports.

The caveat in the Bombay High Court has Noel as the caveator, while Srinivasan has been named as the caveatee. Singh has been included as an extra party caveatee along with lawyer Darius Khambata and Tata group veteran Bhaskar Bhat.

Noel Tata features as the caveator in the move to Mumbai City Civil Court; son Neville is caveator-1, and Srinivasan is caveatee, as per the records.

The City Civil Court caveat named Singh, Khambata and Bhat as extra party caveatees, the reports said. Reports suggest that the inclusion of Khambata and Bhat, who have sided with Tata Trusts in the battle against Tata Sons, as caveatees in both the filings is only procedural, as Noel and Neville are family members. The house of Tatas has been facing disputes with the Noel Tata-led Tata Trusts, which owns 66 per cent in Tata Sons, pitted against the management of the group holding company. Noel's side has concerns over the listing of Tata Sons, while the holding company's management has decided to follow up on RBI's diktats, making a public listing necessary. In the run-up to the September 17 voting at the Tata Sons board meeting, where the sides in the battle became clear, with Srinivasan siding with the majority Tata Sons board despite being a Tata Trusts nominee director, other, smaller battles have been playing out at various fora, with specific allegations.

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