Ex-CJI, more legal experts back Tata Sons on Chandra’s reappointment

MUMBAI: Tata Sons has formally rebuffed Noel Tata’s objections to N Chandrasekaran‘s reappointment as chairman, backing the Sept 17 board decision with legal opinions from three lawyers – senior advocate Sudipto Sarkar, former Chief Justice of India Uday Lalit, and former Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna. The company said the vote was validly carried by a majority of the board and complies with its Articles of Association.The dispute centres on Noel Tata’s contention that Tata Sons bypassed Articles 118 and 121 in reappointing Chandrasekaran. Article 118 governs appointment of a new chairman and requires a five-member selection committee, three of whose members are nominated by Tata Trusts.Company secretary Suprakash Mukhopadhyay, responding on Thursday to a Sept 18 letter from Noel objecting to the conduct of the board meeting, said Article 118 did not apply because it governs appointment of a new chairman.