A Jan. 8, 2026 report by The News Minute revealed that a California court had ordered Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu to post a $1.7 billion bond in connection with his ongoing divorce proceedings with his former wife, Pramila Srinivasan. The order, issued in January 2025 on an ex-parte application filed by Srinivasan and not previously reported, was aimed at safeguarding her interests in the case.
The court also halted an internal restructuring of Zoho’s U.S. subsidiary, Zoho Corp, that was already in progress. In addition, a receiver was appointed to oversee several U.S.-based entities involved in the restructuring, along with the personal assets of Vembu and fellow Zoho co-founder Tony Thomas.
Although the companies and individuals named in the receivership order posted bonds to temporarily avoid being placed under a receiver, Sridhar Vembu cited separate reasons for why he could not meet the court’s $1.7 billion bond requirement. During multiple hearings, he proposed a range of alternatives, with figures varying from no payment at all to as much as $150 million.
According to The News Minute, Vembu has not paid any portion of the bond to date and remains out of compliance with the court’s directive.
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Before publishing its report, The News Minute sent a detailed questionnaire to Sridhar Vembu and Zoho on multiple occasions seeking their response. When contacted by phone, a member of the company’s public relations team said they would not be commenting on the matter.
Hours after the article was published, Vembu’s attorney, Christopher C. Melcher, responded with a lengthy post on X. In the post, Melcher claimed that “the judge was fooled into making an order that Sridhar post a $1.7 billion bond for the wife’s supposed protection,” and argued that “there is no legal authority for such an order.”
He also wrote that “a subsequent judge acknowledged that the amount seemed absurd,” adding that “the $1.7 billion bond order is invalid, cannot be complied with, and is on appeal. The receivership order has been stayed on appeal.” The post was later reposted by Vembu himself.
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But as per The News Minute, the publication also contacted Pramila Srinivasan’s attorney, John O. Farley of Rottenstreich Farley Bronstein Fisher Potter Hodas LLP in New York City, seeking his response to the remarks made by Melcher.
In an emailed statement, Farley pushed back strongly, saying, “Mr Vembu’s lawyer accuses a respected judge of being ‘fooled’ into ruling against his client. Mr Vembu can’t change the facts by attacking the judge. Neither can his lawyer. The Court’s findings against Mr Vembu are a matter of public record which cannot be undone via Twitter (now X).”
Responding to Melcher’s assertion that the $1.7 billion bond order is invalid, Farley added, “No judge of any court has found the $1.7 billion bond order ‘invalid.’ The order is valid, it is in force, and Mr Vembu’s efforts to challenge it have been unsuccessful.”
The January 2025 order was issued as part of the pre-trial phase of the divorce case, which began after Sridhar Vembu filed a petition in 2021. Vembu had relocated from California to India in late 2019. He and Pramila Srinivasan were married for nearly three decades and had been living in California with their son.