'Pre-planned': Vijay Singh says his Tata Sons exit was a setup
Vijay Singh, vice chairman of Tata Trusts and former defense secretary, says his removal from the Tata Sons board wasn't random—it was "well planned if not plotted."
The decision came down to a close 4:3 trustee vote after heated governance debates.
Singh also pushed back on rumors that he was ousted to block Tata Sons's stock market debut, saying that issue had already been settled.
Singh calls out the process—and who was behind it
Singh described the September 11 board meeting as "orchestrated to oust me."
He reflected, "I was appointed by Ratan Tata in 2013 and reappointed in 2022. Less than a year after his passing, I was removed—not by him but by Mehli Mistry and other trustees."
He criticized recent demands for more access to board affairs as attempts to shake up how things are run.
What this means for Tata Trusts
Singh's sudden exit exposed deep rifts within Tata Trusts, even prompting government officials to step in.
The vote saw Mehli Mistry and three others push for his removal—highlighting rare tension between Noel Tata's camp and the Mistrys.
With Singh gone (he joined Tata Trusts at Ratan Tata's invitation), there's now fresh speculation about where governance at one of India's biggest business groups is headed—especially with talk of a possible public listing still swirling.