Weeks after the dramatic exit of Mehli Mistry from Tata Trusts, senior advocate and long-time trustee Darius J. Khambata wrote a letter to key trustees within the fold, strongly stating that a September 11, 2025 meeting was not a "coup" attempt.
In the letter to key members of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), dated November 10, 2025, Khambata strongly argued that calling the meeting a 'coup' was "absurd", a Moneycontrol report said.
The former additional solicitor general of India, who is a part of both the SDTT and the SRTT, explained that the September 11 meeting was simply an annual review of how the two key trusts were represented on the board of Tata Sons through their nominee directors.
Khambata also said that though there had been a "difference of approach" at the meeting, it was not an exercise aimed at taking over control, adding that he had twice declined the late Ratan Tata's offer of trust nominee director on the Tata Sons board.
"That representation (on the Tata sons board) is a duty to the Trusts, not a prize,” he wrote in the letter.
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Khambata also added that he and the others had felt "absolutely nothing against Vijay” at the meeting, referring to former defence secretary Vijay Singh, whose nomination to trust nominee director on the Tata Sons board had been blocked by the Mehli Mistry camp in that meeting.
The meeting left behind only two nominee directors on the Tata Sons board—Noel Tata, and Venu Srinivasan.
Khambata also mentions disagreeing with Mehli Mistry on the exit of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group (SPG)—which holds an approximately 18.37 per cent stake in Tata Sons—which would open up the Trusts to a public listing.
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He also notes that right after the September 11 meeting, he had proposed a joint statement—a unified show of faith—for Noel Tata's leadership.
“The first time was almost immediately after 11 September and the second was the day before Ratan’s death anniversary ... Unfortunately some of you did not respond," he pointed out.
Though Khambata ends the letter by saying that the ousted Mistry had "put the interests of the Trusts above his personal interests", as he had done, it still remains to be seen whether this third call for unity under Noel Tata will bear fruit.
