Kathmandu. Four members of the Hinduja family, the richest Indian-origin billionaire in the UK, have been convicted in the case of labor exploitation and human trafficking against domestic workers. Domestic workers filed a lawsuit against them in Geneva. According to the allegations, Hinduja families spent more on dogs than domestic workers.
Four members of the Hinduja family of Indian origin have been sentenced to imprisonment by the Swiss court.
The court sentenced the Hinduja family to imprisonment on charges of exploiting Indian workers working in their bungalow. The 4 members of this family, which is considered to be the richest family in Britain, were sentenced to prison by the Swiss court on Friday.
Wealthy businessman Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal Hinduja have been sentenced to four and a half years of imprisonment and their son Ajay and daughter-in-law Namrata have been sentenced to four years in prison.
The Hinduja family has been accused of human trafficking and exploiting its employees. Most of India’s uneducated workers used to work in the bungalows of the Hinduja family in Geneva, Switzerland. They were working in the bungalow of Hinduja’s family along the Geneva lake.
After finding that the Hinduja family was involved in domestic abuse, the court sentenced them to imprisonment.
According to the media, even before this incident, many types of property including diamond, ruby and platinum necklaces of the Hinduja family had been seized. It is said that the confiscated property will be used for legal fees and fines.
Prakash Hinduja was earlier convicted of similar charges in 2007. This family has also been accused of confiscating the workers’ passports, providing them with Indian rupees instead of Swiss francs as wages, giving the workers very low wages to prevent them from leaving the Hinduja family’s house, and not allowing them to go out of the house.
Hinduja family owns property worth 26 trillion 40 billion rupees
Hinduja family has been operating their business from UK. This family is listed in the list of richest people in the world. According to Forbes, in 2023, the Hinduja family owned assets worth 20 billion US dollars (26 trillion 40 billion 52 billion Nepalese rupees).
According to the Forbes list, the Hinduja family was ranked 7th among the richest people in India last year. This family is among the top 200 richest people in the world.
The family invests in Ashok Leyland, Hinduja Tech Telecom, Gulf Oil International Limited and Gas, Quaker Houghton International Limited, Hinduja National Power Corporation Limited, Hinduja Renewals Energy Private Limited, IndusInd Bank, Hinduja Housing Finance, Switch Mobility, PD Hinduja Hospital, Hinduja Leyland. Finance Limited, GOCL Corporation Limited, Tare Hotel, Information Technology, Auto, Infrastructure Construction, Real Estate etc.
The Hinduja family used to take work from workers for up to 18 hours
It has also been found that Hinduja families employ workers for 18 hours a day. According to a report by Bloomberg, human trafficking surveillance was conducted in Switzerland from June 17. During the surveillance, it was found that domestic workers were assigned to work continuously for 18 hours.
The wages provided to them were 10 times lower than the rates set by the Swiss government. The workers were provided with proper food and sleeping arrangements.
Spend more money on dogs than workers
According to a Bloomberg report, the Hinduja family has been spending more on dogs than on its workers. The Hinduja family, which pays its employees 238,000 Indian rupees annually, was spending 800,000 Indian rupees annually for the food and care of the dog.
Rebuttal by Hinduja family
The Hinduja family has refuted the allegations against their family. According to him, he himself did not hire the staff. The Hinduja family says that the allegations of exploitation of employees against them are false because a company in India hired them and provided them with them.
The Hinduja family has claimed that apart from food, accommodation and sleeping arrangements have also been made for the employees.
Prakash Hinduja has been working in Europe as the Chairman of Hinduja Group. He has been living in Monaco since 2008, according to his company’s official website. After completing his studies, he was involved in the family business in Tehran, Iran. Later he went to Switzerland and took charge of Hinduja Paribar’s Europe operations.
Prakash married Kamal. They have two sons Aj and Ramakrishna and one daughter Renuka.
The emergence of this family 110 years ago in the business sector
The rise of Hinduja Group in the business sector was 110 years ago. In the year 1914, Parmanand Dipchand Hinduja took his first step in business. Parmanand Deepchand had 4 sons namely Srichand, Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok. This family of 4 sons has been looking after the business of Hinduja Group.
Among them, Srichand died on May 17 last year. The corporate office of Hinduja family was shifted to Iran in 1919. Until 1979, this group’s business operations were conducted from Iran. In 1979, after the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the situation in Iran changed, this family shifted to London.
This family’s business has spread to more than 50 countries. In which about 2 lakh workers work. In India, 6 companies of Hinduja family are listed on the stock marketThis family’s involvement in India’s famous scam ‘Bofors’ is also involved
The names of Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash of the Hinduja family have also been found to be involved in India’s famous Bofors scam.
The incident in which the Swedish arms manufacturing company Bofors paid a bribe of 1.3 billion US dollars to the Indian government in 1986 is called the Bofors scam case. At this time, Congress was the government in India. At that time Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister of Congress. Even Prime Minister Gandhi was involved in this case. In 1987, Sweden’s radio broadcasted the first news that Bofors company had bribed the Indian government for the purchase of weapons.
At that time, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had alleged that 3 brothers of the Hinduja family, Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash, had helped in this bribery scandal. Later in 2005, the Hinduja 3 brothers were acquitted of this charge even though there was not enough evidence.
The New Rule of Hinduja Family
Four years ago, there was a news of a fight in Hinduja family. In 2014, there was an agreement between this family. It is said that there was a fight in the family due to the same agreement.
It was agreed that ‘everyone has rights over the property of the Hinduja group and nobody has anything’. This means that the rest of the brothers will also have rights over the property that one brother of the Hinduja family has. Each brother can appoint another brother as the executor.
4 brothers signed this contract. After a long time, the daughters of the eldest brother Srichand tried to get out of the circle of this agreement. For this, they rushed to the court.
Srichand’s daughter had accused her uncles of separating her from the family. On the other hand, Srichand’s other brothers accused Srichand’s daughters of happily enjoying all the wealth.