Financial Express | Justice delayed is Tata denied

“I was ruined not once, but twice: once when I lost a lawsuit and once when I won one” is a famous apocryphal quip. Costs and time taken into account, the nominal “winner” of a lawsuit can often be the loser. But what if winning or losing a lawsuit is not an option to begin with? We are in such strange territory in India. The Tata Group and its disputes, which have been in the news for the better part of the year, are a stark reminder of the absurdities of the Indian judicial system.

Tata Sons is the holding company of the group companies, many of which are listed. Tata Sons in turn is majority-owned by the Tata Trusts, which own around 66%. The Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group owns around 18%. The Tata Trusts, being charitable non-profits, are statutorily overseen by the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner. This unconventional structure has led to layers of disputes for the Tata Group.