Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu’s US divorce case heats up as $1.7 billion bond claim resurfaces

The bitter divorce between Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu and his US-based wife, Pramila Srinivasan, has returned to the spotlight after reports emerged that a California court directed the billionaire entrepreneur to post a bond worth $1.7 billion (around ₹15,278 crore). Although Vembu’s legal team has said the order is being challenged on appeal, the development has once again drawn attention to a dispute that combines personal tragedy, corporate control and cross-border financial claims.

Vembu and Srinivasan were married for nearly three decades after meeting in the United States, where both pursued advanced degrees in engineering. The couple lived in California for years and have a 26-year-old son who has been diagnosed with autism. Their marriage began to unravel after Vembu relocated in 2019 from Silicon Valley to his native village of Mathalamparai in Tamil Nadu, where he launched a rural development initiative while continuing to lead Zoho, the software firm he co-founded.

Also read: US court orders Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu to post $1.7 Bn bond in divorce case

According to court records cited in US media reports, Srinivasan has accused Vembu of abandoning both her and their son after his move to India. She has also alleged that he shifted ownership of key Zoho assets and intellectual property to family members in India through a web of transactions, without her consent, in violation of California’s community property laws. Under those rules, assets acquired during a marriage are generally considered jointly owned and subject to division during a divorce, even if they are held abroad.

Srinivasan, who is an entrepreneur and academic in the healthcare technology space, has argued that these alleged transfers stripped her of her rightful share in what she calls the family’s most valuable asset. In filings before the court, she claimed she supported the household in the early years and was kept in the dark about the restructuring of Zoho’s ownership.

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Vembu has strongly rejected those claims. In public statements and social media posts, he has denied abandoning his family or diverting assets, saying that his wife and son continue to live comfortably in the US and that he has provided financial support, including income and property. His lawyer, Christopher C. Melcher, has described Srinivasan’s allegations as “outrageously false” and has said the court’s bond order, issued in January 2025 after an ex parte request filed late last year, is under appeal.

Srinivasan currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her son. She founded MedicalMine in 2007, a company focused on electronic health records and medical practice software, and also runs The Brain Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to autism research, treatment and community outreach.

What began as a private marital breakdown has evolved into a high-stakes legal battle that could have implications for the ownership structure of one of India’s most prominent software companies. With billions of dollars at stake and proceedings unfolding across jurisdictions, the case continues to attract global attention as both sides dig in for a protracted courtroom fight.