Prasanna Sankar, co-founder of Rippling, has approached the Madras High Court, accusing the police of harassment at the behest of his estranged wife, Dhivya Sashidhar. He also alleges that his friend, Gokul S, was unlawfully detained in Bengaluru without an FIR and was told he would only be released if Prasanna appeared with his son.
A high-profile legal dispute has emerged between Prasanna Sankar and his estranged wife, revolving around allegations of police harassment and a custody battle over their nine-year-old son. The Madras High Court has intervened, with Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan directing the police not to harass Prasanna Sankar.
Prasanna Sankar’s allegations
Prasanna claims that Dhivya Sashidhar has been orchestrating false police complaints to pressure him. He alleges that her actions are part of a scheme to abduct their son and take him out of the country. Despite a court order protecting him from harassment, he asserts that the police have repeatedly attempted to locate him and take custody of the child.
His petition outlines several alleged incidents of police misconduct:
- On March 7, police reportedly attempted to enter his hotel room to take the child, but he had already left.
- Between March 12 and March 21, police allegedly visited his mother and friend, Gokul S, to track him.
- Gokul S was allegedly arrested in Bengaluru and detained for three days without an FIR. According to Prasanna, authorities stated that Gokul would only be released if Prasanna arrived with his son.
Background of the dispute
The conflict began after Prasanna discovered evidence of his wife’s alleged extramarital affair, which he claims led to her demanding a substantial divorce settlement. In February, the couple signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreeing to a mutual divorce and joint custody of their son. However, Prasanna alleges that Dhivya violated the agreement by refusing to place their son’s travel documents in a joint locker and filing a false kidnapping complaint against him.
Counterclaims by Dhivya Sashidhar
Dhivya Sashidhar denies the allegations and maintains that she filed the kidnapping complaint to locate their son. She claims she was coerced into signing the MoU and that Prasanna’s friend, Gokul S, forcibly took their child from her. Additionally, she alleges that she was misled into coming to India due to a property dispute and accuses Prasanna of having a criminal history. The legal battle continues, with the Madras High Court closely monitoring the case.