The Hinduja Group is one of the world's biggest multi-billion conglomerates. It was founded in 1914 by Premanand Deepchand Hinduja in order to set up trade links between India and Persia. As India's biggest conglomerate, it also has two philanthropic projects, including Hinduja Hospital and Hinduja Foundation. Time and again, we have witnessed a number of celebrities being rushed to the Hinduja Hospital for quick treatment.
As per recent reports, four members of the richest family in Britain, the Hinduja group, Prakash Hinduja, his wife, Kamal Hinduja, their son, Ajay Hinduja and his wife, Namrata Hinduja, have all been convicted on June 21, 2024, for allegedly exploiting underpaid servants at their luxurious villa in Geneva, Switzerland. They were sentenced to jail by a Swiss court for the same.
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The reports claimed that they exploited Indian migrant servants by making them work for up to 18 hours a day for less than Rs. 700 (Ampersand 7) per day. For the uninitiated, the hourly rate in Switzerland is 32 Swiss Francs, which is Rs. 2800 (Ampersand 28). The three servants who complained the same mentioned the Hinduja family members had also confiscated their passports, didn't allow them to go out, gave them little or no vacation, and they were made to sleep on mattresses in the basement.
As per independent journalist, Poonam Joshi, both Prakash Hinduja and his wife, Kamal, who were absent from the trial due to health issues, have received 4.5 years of jail term while their son, Ajay and his wife, Namrata, have got four years each. In addition, the Swiss court has asked the Hindujas to pay Ampersand 750,000 which is almost Rs 7.5 crore as compensation to the three servants who reported them along with legal fees of almost Rs. 2.5 crore. The Swiss authorities have also seized valuable jewellery, including diamonds, rubies and a platinum necklace, in anticipation that they could be used to pay legal fees and potential penalties.
After the alleged dispute and the charges levied on the family members of the Hinduja Group, they also expressed their dismay at the court's decision. Afterwards, in a statement signed by the lawyers of the Hindujas, they announced that an appeal had been filed to a higher court in the hope of overturning the verdict, which found them guilty of exploiting vulnerable domestic workers. As reported by PTI, the statement read as:
“We are appalled and disappointed by the rest of the decision made in this court of first instance, and we have of course filed an appeal to the higher court thereby making this part of the judgment not effective.”
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Back in the 1910s, Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja founded a commodities-trading business in British India's Sindh region. This was later, diversified by his and his wife, Jamuna Hinduja's sons, Prakash. P. Hinduja (Chairman of Hinduja Group in Europe), Srichand. P. Hinduja (Ex-Chairman of Hinduja Group), Gopichand. P. Hinduja (Co-Chairman of Hinduja Group) and Ashok. P. Hinduja (Chairman of Hinduja Group in India). Since the eldest son, Srichand, who made the Hinduja group a global name, passed away in London in May 2023, the legacy has been carried forward by the other three sons of the family. Initially interested in distributing Bollywood films internationally, the Hinduja group now owns stakes in six publicly traded Indian companies from the finance, media, and energy sectors. Thus, as per Forbes, it has a collective wealth of around USD 20 billion and is placed among Asia's top 20 wealthiest families.
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For the unversed, Gopichand Hinduja lives in London, whereas Prakash Hinduja resides in Monaco, and Ashok Hinduja oversees the work from Mumbai.
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