US court orders Zoho chief Sridhar Vembu to furnish $₹15,000 cr bond in divorce case
Updated: Jan 9th, 2026
A California court has asked billionaire tech entrepreneur and Zoho co-founder Shridhar Vembu to submit a bond worth $1.7 billion (₹15,278 crore) in an ongoing divorce case involving his estranged wife, Pramila Srinivasan, as per reports .
According to reports, a receiver has also been appointed to oversee several Zoho entities in the US as well as Vembu’s personal assets. The court has further put a temporary stop to a key asset transfer linked to the software company .
In its observations, the court said Vembu failed to fully disclose certain financial transactions and showed disregard for legal procedures, raising concerns over compliance with California’s community property laws.
Vembu moved back to India in 2019 to live and work from rural Tamil Nadu and filed for divorce in 2021. The latest order, issued in January 2025, followed an ex-parte application filed by Srinivasan in November 2024.
According to court records, Srinivasan alleged that Vembu shifted Zoho ownership stakes and intellectual property through complex transactions without her knowledge or consent. She also sought the court’s intervention to prevent the transfer of a revenue-generating Zoho unit in the US.
The disputed transaction involved transferring the business of US-based Zoho Corporation, a subsidiary of Chennai-headquartered Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd, to an entity owned by Vembu’s long-time associate Tony Thomas. The court rejected Vembu’s claim that the move was for tax efficiency, stating that it violated restraining orders meant to protect marital assets.
Srinivasan further alleged that Vembu abandoned her and their adult son with special needs after relocating to India and later transferred a significant portion of Zoho shares to family members, reducing his declared stake in the company .
Zoho was founded in 1996 as AdventNet and renamed in 2009. The company provides software-as-a-service solutions globally. Vembu is a Padma Shri awardee and was appointed to India’s National Security Advisory Board in 2021.
