When the will of Ratan Tata was unsealed, it contained all the expected elements—substantial philanthropic commitments, family considerations, and meticulous distributions. But one name stood out, raising eyebrows across India’s business and social circles: Mohini Mohan Dutta.
A relatively obscure entrepreneur from Jamshedpur, Dutta has been left over ₹500 crore, according to The Economic Times. His inclusion has sparked intrigue, not least because Tata, who passed away in October 2024, was famously private about his personal affairs.
Who is Mohini Mohan Dutta? What role did he play in Tata’s life? And why did he receive one of the largest individual bequests in the will of one of India’s most revered industrialists?
Dutta, now in his 80s, reportedly first met Ratan Tata in the early 1960s at the Dealers’ Hostel in Jamshedpur. At the time, Tata was a 24-year-old navigating his way through the sprawling family empire. That meeting shaped the trajectory of Dutta’s life.
“We first met in Jamshedpur at the Dealers’ Hostel when Ratan Tata was 24. He helped me out and really built me up,” Dutta said at Tata’s funeral in October 2024.
Dutta’s professional journey intertwined with the Tata Group. After starting his career with the Taj Group, he founded Stallion Travel Agency, which merged with Taj Services, a division of the Taj Group of Hotels, in 2013. Tata Industries held an 80% stake in the business before Tata Capital acquired and later sold it to Thomas Cook (India). Dutta remains a director at the rebranded TC Travel Services and holds shares in Tata Group companies, including Tata Capital, which is preparing for a public listing.
Dutta, the report adds, was more than an associate, an adopted son, it goes further to elaborate. However, the will and its accompanying codicil explicitly state that Ratan Tata never married or legally adopted children.
Dutta’s connection to the Tata family extends beyond business. His daughter worked with Tata Trusts for nearly a decade after beginning her career at Taj Hotels. He was also a guest at Tata’s birth anniversary commemoration at Mumbai’s NCPA in December 2024, an event attended by the most trusted names in the Tata ecosystem.
Despite his deep ties, Dutta’s inheritance has triggered murmurs of discontent. As per the will, he is entitled to one-third of Tata’s residual estate, which includes bank deposits exceeding ₹350 crore and proceeds from auctioning personal belongings such as paintings and watches.
The remaining two-thirds go to Tata’s half-sisters, Shireen Jejeebhoy and Deanna Jejeebhoy, who, alongside Tata Trusts trustees Darius Khambata and Mehli Mistry, are also executors of the will. However, sources cited by The Economic Times reveal that Dutta expects his inheritance to be worth ₹650 crore, a figure that does not align with the executors’ current estimates.
Tata’s half-brother Noel Tata and his children are conspicuously absent from the will, while Jimmy Tata is set to receive ₹50 crore. While The Economic Times has reported extensively on the matter, BT could not independently verify the claims regarding the inheritance estimates or the exact terms of Tata’s will.
As the will awaits probate in Bombay High Court, questions swirl around this unexpected bequest.
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2025-02-07 04:00:37
