The notice reiterates concerns of a breach of Section 30A(2) of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950. It states that the Trust currently has six trustees, of whom three are functioning as perpetual or lifetime trustees, constituting 50% of the board.
According to the notice, this directly contravenes the statutory mandate. Section 30A(2) of the Act specifies that the number of perpetual trustees “shall not exceed one-fourth of the total number of trustees.”
The notice further states that the continuation of the present board composition is illegal and defeats the legislative intent of preventing the entrenchment of a small group of lifetime trustees, while ensuring greater accountability in the management of public charitable trusts.
It has urged the Charity Commissioner to convene an urgent board meeting of the Trust and place before it the need to rectify the alleged violation by reducing the number of perpetual or lifetime trustees to not more than one, in line with the provision.
This comes amid recent developments within the Tata Trusts ecosystem, where the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution has moved to amend a 1923 trust deed that restricted non-Zoroastrians from being appointed as trustees. The decision comes after internal disputes, including challenges to the eligibility of Venu Srinivasan, VC of the Sir Ratan Tata Trusts, and Vijay Singh, with former trustee Mehli Mistry questioning their eligibility on grounds of faith and residence.
Also Read: Tata Trust says Bai Hirabai Trust to amend restrictive clauses that allowed only Zoroastrians to be trustees
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