‘Rippling’ Co-Founder Moves Madras HC Alleging Police Harassment Amid Escalating Feud With Wife

'Rippling' Co-Founder

Prasanna Sankar, the co-founder of Rippling, has approached the Madras High Court with allegations that Tamil Nadu police are harassing him at the instigation of his wife, Dhivya Sashidhar.

This legal action comes amid an intense and ongoing dispute involving claims of child abduction, domestic violence, and sexual misconduct.

Accusations & Allegations

The family feud escalated publicly when Prasanna, in a viral post on X (formerly Twitter), accused his wife of infidelity and filing false criminal complaints after he sought a divorce. He alleged that Dhivya had “abducted” their son and attempted to take him out of the country. In contrast, Dhivya has accused Prasanna of “sexual misconduct, kidnapping, and prostitution.”

Prasanna claimed that the police have been repeatedly harassing him, attempting to take away his son following his estranged wife’s false kidnapping complaint. The Madras High Court intervened, with Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan directing the police to stop harassing Prasanna.

Allegations Of Police Harassment

In his legal plea, Prasanna outlined several instances of alleged police harassment. He stated that on March 7, 2023, the police attempted to enter his hotel room to take his child, although he had left the room prior to their arrival. He also claimed that between March 12 and March 21, the police visited his mother and a friend, Gokul S, in an effort to locate him and his son.

Prasanna further revealed that Gokul S was arrested and detained for three days despite no charges being filed against him. He alleged that the police informed Gokul that he would only be released if Prasanna went to the station with his son. Prasanna has attributed these actions to what he described as a “false” and “malicious” complaint filed by his wife, which he claims mirrors similar baseless accusations she made in the US and Singapore.

Background Of The Dispute

Prasanna, a graduate of NIT Trichy, explained that he had been married to Dhivya for 10 years, and they have a nine-year-old son. After moving to the US to start his tech company, Prasanna discovered his wife’s affair, which was reportedly confirmed through text messages and hotel booking evidence sent by the man involved. The couple’s relationship began to deteriorate after Prasanna filed for divorce in India, while his wife filed for divorce in the US.

The situation worsened when Dhivya allegedly “abducted” their son and took him to the US, prompting Prasanna to file an international child abduction case. The US court ruled in his favor, and Prasanna entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dhivya, agreeing to pay her Rs 9 crore and Rs 4.3 lakh per month while sharing joint custody of their son.

Disagreements & Legal Complications

Following the MoU, Dhivya brought their son to Chennai, where the child was voluntarily handed over to Prasanna on March 3, 2023. However, Prasanna claims that his wife violated the MoU by refusing to deposit their son’s travel documents into a joint locker. He also alleged that Dhivya had been avoiding court appearances in Chennai for the ongoing divorce case and was using extrajudicial tactics to gain leverage in their child custody dispute.

On the other hand, Dhivya has made counter-allegations, claiming that Prasanna kidnapped their son and coerced her into signing the MoU. She asserts that both she and their son are US citizens and had returned to India earlier in March. Dhivya further accused Prasanna of being a “sex predator” who secretly recorded women, a claim reportedly tied to his prior arrest in Singapore.

As the legal battle continues to unfold, the high court has intervened to prevent further harassment of Prasanna by the police. The situation remains tense, with both sides continuing to make serious accusations, and the final outcome of their divorce and custody proceedings still pending.