A California court hearing the divorce proceedings of Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu has issued an unusually strong pre-trial order in January 2025, according to public court records accessed by Newslaundry. The court has directed him to post a bond of $1.7 billion and placed multiple US-based Zoho entities and his personal assets under a court-appointed receiver.
In a January 2025 order, the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda said the extraordinary measures were necessary to protect the community property rights of Vembu’s estranged wife, Pramila Srinivasan, while the divorce case proceeds, the Newslaundry report stated.
The court described the bond requirement as unprecedented, noting that the record showed repeated conduct that justified heightened safeguards. In addition to ordering the $1.7 billion bond, the court appointed a receiver over several Zoho-linked entities in the US, including Zoho Corporation and affiliated holding companies. The court has also paused a significant asset-transfer transaction pending further review.
Who is Pramila Srinivasan?
Per her LinkedIn, Pramila Srinivasan is an academic, entrepreneur and healthcare technology leader based in the United States. She holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering and has worked extensively in health technology, particularly in electronic health records and specialised care systems.
Her career has also involved advocacy around healthcare access and digital infrastructure. She also founded The Brain Foundation, a US-based non-profit organisation dedicated to autism research, treatment and community outreach.
Srinivasan married Vembu in 1993 while both were living in the US. The couple lived together in California for nearly 29 years before separating. They have an adult son with autism.
In court filings, Srinivasan has alleged that Vembu abandoned her and their son when he moved back to India and failed to return. She has also accused him of transferring ownership stakes and intellectual property linked to Zoho through complex corporate structures without her knowledge or consent, actions she claims violated California’s community property laws.
Vembu has denied the allegations, describing them publicly as “complete fiction”. He has stated that he continues to support Srinivasan and their son financially, including providing his US salary and the family home and has rejected claims of improper asset transfers.
What does the California law say?
Under California law, community assets include income and property acquired by either spouse during the marriage. Such assets are generally subject to equal division in a divorce unless a written agreement specifies otherwise. Community property lies at the centre of the dispute between Vembu and Srinivasan, who were married for nearly three decades and lived in California for much of that time.
The couple’s divorce proceedings began in August 2021, after Srinivasan filed for divorce in California.
Dispute over Zoho assets
At the heart of the divorce is a high-stakes dispute over the ownership and control of Zoho Corporation, the enterprise software firm co-founded by Vembu. Srinivasan has asserted in court that she is entitled to half of the marital wealth generated during Vembu’s tenure as Zoho’s founder.
According to her filings, Srinivasan alleges that a substantial portion of Vembu’s Zoho shareholding and related intellectual property was transferred to his sister, Radha Vembu, who is estimated to hold a 47.8% stake in the company. She claims these transfers were carried out without her consent and were designed to limit her share under California law.
