A Singapore court has sentenced Byju Raveendran, founder of Byju’s, to six months in jail for contempt of court, according to a Bloomberg report. The court reportedly found that Raveendran repeatedly failed to comply with orders to disclose his assets, with some violations dating back to April 2024.

Court Orders Immediate Surrender: The court directed Raveendran to surrender to the authorities immediately and to pay legal costs. He was also ordered to pay S$90,000 in legal costs and provide documents proving ownership of Beeaar Investco Pte, a company linked to the dispute.

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) subsidiary Qatar Holdings is reportedly pursuing the case. The company had invested in Byju’s during its financial difficulties.

Legal Troubles Deepen for Byju’s: At its peak in 2022, Byju’s was valued at about $22 billion and considered one of India’s most valuable startups. The company aggressively expanded through acquisitions and global sponsorship deals, including partnerships involving celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan and Lionel Messi.

However, delayed financial disclosures, rising debt, investor disputes, layoffs, and governance issues caused a sharp decline in valuation and business performance.

Raveendran claims settlement, denies wrongdoing: Following the Singapore court’s order, Byju Raveendran said that he has reached an “in-principle” settlement with the company’s lenders and maintained that there was “no wrongdoing” by him or the other founders.

Raveendran called the Singapore contempt proceedings an “unnecessary pressure tactic” brought at a “sensitive stage” of settlement. He emphasized that the dispute does not involve fraud or misappropriation.

The Singapore case was filed by the QIA, which invested in Byju’s parent company and one of Raveendran’s personal holding companies. The proceedings concern disclosure obligations and ownership documentation related to entities connected to the founder.

Multi-Jurisdictional Legal Storm: In the US, a Delaware bankruptcy court directed Raveendran to pay over $1.07 billion for the alleged diversion of funds from Byju’s Alpha in a default judgment issued after repeated noncompliance. The court later reversed the judgment following new submissions from the company. The US court agreed that damages had not been determined and ordered a new phase to begin in early January 2026 to assess damages related to claims against Raveendran.

Byju’s Alpha was incorporated in Delaware in 2021 as a special-purpose vehicle for a $1.2 billion term loan. Lenders later took control and alleged that $533 million was “round-tripped” to Raveendran and his affiliates. The founders have denied the allegation.

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