Who Is Pramila Srinivasan? All About Sridhar Vembu's Estranged Wife as US Court Orders Zoho Founder To Post INR 15,278 Crore Bond in Divorce Case

Mumbai, January 11: A bitter, years-long divorce battle between Zoho Corporation founder Sridhar Vembu and his estranged wife, Pramila Srinivasan, has escalated into one of the most significant financial disputes in tech history. In a landmark ruling issued in January 2025 and currently under appeal in 2026, a California court directed the billionaire entrepreneur to post a USD 1.7 billion (INR 15,278 crore) bond. The order, described by the court as "unprecedented," aims to secure Srinivasan’s potential share of marital assets amid allegations of non-transparent financial manoeuvring. Amid this, people are looking online to know who Pramila Srinivasan is.

Who is Pramila Srinivasan?

Pramila Srinivasan is a New York-born academic, entrepreneur, and prominent figure in the healthcare technology sector. Holding a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, she married Sridhar Vembu in 1993, shortly before he launched AdventNet (later Zoho) in 1996. ‘I Will Not Delete My Post’: Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu Says Parents Should Take Autism Analysis Seriously Amid Rapid Increase in India.

Beyond her professional roles as the founder of MedicalMine Inc. and The Brain Foundation, Srinivasan has spent much of the last two decades as the primary caregiver for the couple’s son, who has special needs. For nearly 30 years, she and Vembu lived in California before their relationship began to fracture around 2020.

Allegations of Financial Betrayal

The core of the legal dispute centres on California’s community property laws, which dictate that assets acquired during a marriage must be split 50/50. Srinivasan has levelled several explosive allegations against Vembu:

Secret Share Transfers: She alleges that Vembu surreptitiously transferred the majority of Zoho’s ownership and intellectual property to his siblings in India - sister Radha Vembu and brother Sekar Vembu - without her consent.

Asset Undervaluation: Srinivasan claims that while Vembu built Zoho into a multi-billion-dollar empire during their marriage, he now asserts he owns only 5 per cent of the company, a figure she disputes as a fabrication to limit her settlement.

Abandonment: In court filings, she stated that Vembu "abandoned" her and their son with autism in the US when he moved permanently to a village in Tamil Nadu's Mathalamparai in 2019, reportedly communicating his desire for a divorce via WhatsApp in 2020.

The USD 1.7 Billion Bond and Receivership

The Superior Court of California in Alameda County issued the bond order after finding that Vembu had "not been transparent" regarding his finances. The court expressed concern that a major corporate restructuring move - which Vembu’s team claimed was for "tax optimisation" - was actually an attempt to move community assets out of Srinivasan's reach.

In addition to the bond, the court appointed a receiver to oversee several Zoho entities in the US and Vembu’s personal assets. This neutral third party is tasked with ensuring that no further assets are moved or sold while the divorce trial remains pending. 'Arattai New Feature Update: Sridhar Vembu Announces ‘Polls’ Feature in India-Made E2EE Chat App, Hints Big Updates in January 2026.

Sridhar Vembu’s Defense

Sridhar Vembu has vehemently denied all allegations, calling them "complete fiction." Through his legal team and public statements on social media, he has maintained the following:

Financial Support: Vembu asserts he has supported his wife and son fully, stating that his US salary for several years was routed to her and that she retains ownership of the family home in California.

Fair Offer: His lawyer, Christopher C. Melcher, stated that Vembu offered Srinivasan 50 per cent of his actual shares in Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd (ZCPL), but she refused to accept them.

Legal Challenge: Vembu’s team argues that the USD 1.7 billion bond is "legally untenable" and based on an emergency application that did not allow for a proper response. The order is currently being challenged in an appeals court.

The 'Mathalamparai' Pivot

The personal rift coincided with Vembu’s highly publicised move to rural Tamil Nadu. While he has been lauded globally for his "reverse brain drain" and efforts to build world-class tech hubs in small Indian villages, the California court proceedings suggest this professional pivot came at a high personal cost, leaving his family in the US feeling sidelined from the wealth they built together.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2026 06:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).