Who are Hindujas and why is UK's richest family sentenced to jail?

Prakash Hinduja

Four members of the Hinduja family, Britain's wealthiest clan, were sentenced to jail by a Swiss court on Friday. The court criticised them for exploiting Indian staff at their Geneva residence, describing their actions as "selfish."

While cleared of human trafficking charges, the Hindujas were found guilty of other offenses. This verdict came as a shock to the family, whose net worth is estimated at £37 billion ($47 billion) according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal Hinduja each got four years and six months, while their son Ajay and his wife Namrata received four-year terms, the presiding judge in Geneva ruled.

Who are Hindujas?

The Hinduja Group, managed and controlled by the family, has diverse business interests including mobility, digital technology, infrastructure project development, lubricants to energy, real estate and healthcare.

The foundation of the Hinduja Group was laid by Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, who entered the international arena with an office in Iran (the first outside India) in 1919. The Group remained headquartered in Iran till 1979 and thereafter moved to Europe.

While it started with merchant banking and trade, the group expanded and diversified its businesses in the last 100 years. The Group today employs over 2,00,000 people and has offices in many key cities of the world and all the major cities in India, according to the official website.

According to Forbes, the family is the seventh richest in India and 146th richest globally in recent years.

What is the family accused of?

The cases stem from the family's practice of bringing servants from their native India and included accusations of confiscating their passports once they were flown to Switzerland.

Prosecutors argued the Hindujas paid their staff a pittance and gave them little freedom to leave the house.

Reacting to the order, the Hindujas said they were appalled and disappointed by the decision. "Our clients have been acquitted of all human trafficking charges. 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 judgement not effective," lawyers representing Hinduja family said in a statement.

"Under Swiss law, the presumption of innocence is paramount till a final judgement by the highest adjudicating authority is enforced. Contrary to some media reports, there is no effective detention for any members of the family," they said.

(With inputs from agencies)