Overview
- The Tata Sons board voted to reappoint N. Chandrasekaran on September 17, with reports saying the motion passed 4-1 and the presiding chairman used a casting vote.
- On October 26 Noel Tata, chair of Tata Trusts, sent a letter to Tata Sons’ company secretary arguing the reappointment was invalid because it was not on the meeting agenda and the Selection Committee had not issued a recommendation.
- Noel Tata has demanded certified copies of the resolution, final minutes and audio/video recordings of the September 17 meeting and has asked the company to note that the resolution’s validity is disputed.
- The dispute moved into the political realm when Rahul Gandhi accused the government of allowing the Tata Group to be 'criminally destroyed' and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman publicly rebuked him for politicising the issue.
- The clash raises questions about a potential public listing and the trusts’ philanthropic mission and has prompted reviews of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance with no court or regulator yet ruling on the matter.