Who is Darius Khambata and what his exit from Tata Trusts means for Noel?

Darius Khambata is stepping down over differences following the September 17 Tata Sons board meeting, which he said had 'damaged' the company's reputation and gone against the Tata group's values

Senior advocate Darius Khambata on Monday said that he will not seek reappointment as a trustee of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) and Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT).

 

Khambata, whose terms are coming to an end, announced his decision in a letter to Noel Tata and Tata Trusts chief executive officer Siddharth Sharma on November 2. He described the events of September 17, when the Tata Sons board discussed the company's listing and N Chandrasekaran's reappointment as chairman, as “a day that will live in infamy”.

 

His exit is significant because Khambata had played an important role in shaping the Trusts' position on key issues concerning Tata Sons. His departure also comes ahead of important meetings in November, including the Tata Sons board meeting scheduled for November 26.

 

 

Who is Darius Khambata?

 

Darius Khambata is a senior advocate with more than four decades of experience in India's legal system. He has served as Maharashtra's Advocate General and as Additional Solicitor General of India. He is also a former vice-president of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).

 

According to his professional profile on the website of One Essex Court, a London-based barristers' chambers, Khambata was called to the Bar in India in 1984 and designated Senior Counsel in 2005. He holds a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School and practises before the Supreme Court, Bombay High Court and other High Courts and tribunals.

 

Khambata served as Additional Solicitor General of India for three years before becoming Maharashtra's Advocate General in 2012. He held the latter position until 2014, according to his profile on the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution website.

 

His professional recognitions include the Arya Chanakya Puraskar for law in 2014, Senior Counsel of the Year award by Legal Era in 2017 and the Living Legend of Law award from the Bar Association of India in 2019.

 

Khambata joined the two Tata trusts at the invitation of the late Ratan Tata. In a letter dated November 2, 2026, addressed to Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and chief executive Siddharth Sharma, he said he would not seek another term.

 

What Khambata's exit means for Noel Tata

 

Khambata's departure comes as Noel Tata faces disagreements among trustees over the governance of Tata Trusts and the future of Tata Sons.

 

Tata Trusts holds a 66 per cent stake in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group. The Shapoorji Pallonji group, its second-largest shareholder, holds about 18.4 per cent and has supported a stock market listing of Tata Sons.

 

Khambata's exit is significant because he had supported Noel Tata's position on key issues concerning Tata Sons, including opposing its stock market listing and backing a third term for N Chandrasekaran as chairman. Both positions were part of resolutions unanimously passed by the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) and Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) on July 28, 2025.

 

His departure will change the composition of SDTT, which will have five trustees from November 9. These include Noel Tata, his son Neville Tata, former Titan Industries managing director Bhaskar Bhat, and vice-chairmen Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh.

 

Noel, Neville and Bhat are seen as being on one side, while Srinivasan and Singh have differed with them on key issues. This leaves Noel's side with a 3-2 numerical advantage in SDTT. However, Khambata's exit means Noel loses a trustee who had backed his position on important decisions concerning Tata Sons.

 

At SRTT, Khambata's exit will leave four trustees -- Noel Tata, Jimmy N Tata, Jehangir HC Jehangir and Venu Srinivasan. The trust was frozen by the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner earlier this year over concerns about the number of life trustees. Three of its trustees have life appointments, while amendments to the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act cap life trustees at one-fourth of the total strength.

 

The differences among trustees became public at the September 17 Tata Sons board meeting, when Noel Tata and Srinivasan took opposing positions on Chandrasekaran's reappointment. Khambata criticised the events of that meeting in his exit letter, saying they had “sullied Tata Sons’ reputation”.

 

With Khambata stepping down, Noel will have to deal with the differences among trustees without one of his supporters on the board of the trusts.

 

What lies ahead for Tata Trusts and Tata Sons?

 

The RBI rejected Tata Sons' application to deregister as a core investment company (CIC) on September 11. This means the company faces mandatory listing requirements as an upper-layer non-banking financial company (NBFC), unless it can change its structure to avoid falling under the applicable rules.

 

Noel has opposed the listing and is seeking a restructuring of Tata Sons to retain its privately held status. He wants the proposal discussed at the November 26 board meeting. He has also raised the Shapoorji Pallonji group's funding requirement of ₹25,000 crore through capital reduction, Business Standard earlier reported.