The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the merger of Tata Group-owned Indian Steel & Wire Products Ltd with Tata Steel Ltd. The decision, made by the division bench of Justices KR Saji Kumar and Sanjiv Dutt, found the merger to be fair, reasonable, and compliant with legal requirements, and not contrary to public interest. Before the tribunal's decision, Tata Steel presented its case through senior advocate Zal Andhyarujina and the law firm Argus Partners. They argued that the merger would create a more robust entity under the Tata Steel brand, enhancing shareholder value through a streamlined "One-Tata Steel" approach.

The company emphasised that the merger would simplify the group's structure by consolidating Indian Steel & Wire Products into Tata Steel, which is expected to drive focused growth, operational efficiencies, and stronger business synergies. The new structure is also anticipated to increase the agility of Tata Steel's operations. The Tata Group initiated this consolidation process in 2022, aiming to merge its metal and resource subsidiaries into a single entity. This includes three listed companies "Tata Metaliks Ltd, Tata Steel Long Products Ltd, and The Tinplate Company of India Ltd" and three unlisted entities  Indian Steel & Wire Products Ltd, Tata Steel Mining Ltd, and S & T Mining Company Ltd.

The merger aligns with the group's 5S strategy simplification, synergy, scale, sustainability, and speed by reducing administrative complexities and costs associated with maintaining separate entities.

(ET)