Cyrus Mistry moves National Company Law Tribunal against Tata Sons

A day after resigning from the boards of six listed Tata firms, Cyrus Mistry today took the legal route in his fight against the Tatas by filing suit in National Company Law Tribunal against Tata Sons.

According to sources, Mistry's family-controlled investment firms today moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai against Tata Sons.

The petition was against oppression and mismanagement of Tata Sons under Section 241 of the Companies Act, the the sources added.

The first hearing by NCLT on the petition is slated for December 22, they said.

While resigning from the boards of the Tata group firms yesterday, Mistry had launched a scathing broadside against Ratan Tata and vowed to shift his fight to a "larger platform".

"Having deeply reflected on where we are in this movement for cleaning up governance and regaining lost ethical ground, I think it is time to shift gears, up the momentum, and be more incisive in securing the best interests of the Tata Group," Mistry had said.

He further said that with this thought in mind, he "decided to shift this campaign to a larger platform and also one where rule of law and equity is upheld".

Mistry, who had continued to be on boards of operating companies even after his ouster as chairman of the holding company Tata Sons on October 24, had again raked up "breakdown of governance" and questionable dealings including release of more funds to airline venture Air Asia under interim chairman Ratan Tata despite "findings of fraud and wrong-doing".

His resignation came ahead of five Tata companies -- Indian Hotels, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power and Tata Chemicals -- calling extraordinary general meetings starting from today to oust him as a director on company boards after Ratan Tata, a scion of the conglomerate's founding family, replaced him as chairman of the group's holding company.