A Mumbai court on Tuesday admitted a criminal defamation complaint filed by Ramachandran Venkataramanan, the managing trustee of Tata Trusts, against former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry, his brother Shapoor Mistry and their firms, seeking Rs 500 crore in damages and an unconditional apology.

Venkataramanan, also known as Venkat, has accused the ousted Tata Sons chairman and others of making false statements against him, damaging his reputation.