'Can't lock people in your house, make them work 18 hours': Capitalmind CEO on Hinduja case

'Even a rich family like the Hindujas can't get away from employment protection,' Deepak Shenoy said.

The conviction of Hinduja family -- richest in the UK -- by a Swiss court for poor treatment of their domestic staff has evoked strong reactions on social media. Business leaders too did not hold back from slamming the family, whose net worth is estimated at £37 billion ($47 billion), for paying their staff a pittance and not allowing them to leave the house.

Bengaluru-based Capitalmind founder and CEO Deepak Shenoy said justice was served after Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal Hinduja were sentenced to four years and six months in jail, while their son Ajay and his wife Namrata received four-year terms.

"Justice has been served. Even a rich family like the Hindujas can't get away from employment protection," he wrote on X. "You can't withhold passports, lock people in your house, make them work 18 hours per day, and still pay them peanuts."

Justice has been served. Even a rich family like the Hindujas can't get away from employment protection; you can't withhold passports, lock people in your house, make them work 18 hours per day, and still pay them peanuts. Jail terms and fines in Switzerland for the Hindujas. https://t.co/pr4AWaaMwv

— Deepak Shenoy (@deepakshenoy) June 22, 2024

Defending the Hindujas, when an X user said that retaining passports by employers is common to avoid employees escaping into the eurozone and that the workers were there for domestic work and not tourism, Shenoy pointed out that irrespective of everything, the working hours for the staff should not have been more than 10 hours.

"If they have a passport with a Schengen visa, they can go to the "Eurozone" whenever they want. It's not the employer's call to hold the passport and likely illegal. Tourism is a leisure activity anyone can do in their spare time. Employers get their 8-10 hours, not more," he said, adding that professional butlers are available in the country who work for a specified number of hours, managing the home, but there are still holiday requirements for that. "There are country-specific laws for it."