Darius Khambata declines another term with Tata Trusts, says Tata Sons reputation sullied following September 17 board meet

Tata Trusts board member Darius Khambata has alleged that directors of Tata Sons sullied the image of the company by controversially approving a third term for Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran.

Khambata expressed the view as he declined another term as a trustee of Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust - the two key shareholders of Tata Sons.

“The sad events of September 17, 2026, a day that will live in infamy have sullied Tata Sons’ reputation and have imperilled the image of corporate India. No spin doctoring can mask what happened,” Khambata wrote in a letter to Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata on Monday

Would the board of Tata Sons acted as it did on September 17 had Ratan Tata still been alive? Of course not. But duties are owed to institutions, not to individuals. And as Ratan Tata used to say, the institution is always bigger than the individual,” Khambata said.

Chandrasekaran’s reappointment for the third term has divided board of holding company which voted 4:1 in favour of the resolution. Noel Tata who was the sole dissenter has continued his objections against the proposal.

Last week Noel Tata wrote to Tata Sons company secretary Suprakash Mukhopadhyay seeking records of September 17 meeting.

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