Indian-origin tech entrepreneur Prasanna Sankar, who co-founded a $10 billion workforce management software Rippling, has allegedly become the latest victim of India’s flawed gender-biased laws.

The tech entrepreneur, who is based out of Singapore, expressed his ordeal on social media platform X, detailing how his estranged wife has been harassing him by misusing India’s laws that are often against the best interests of men.

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The tech entrepreneur finds himself in a bitter legal battle with his estranged wife Dhivya Sashidhar after 10 years of marriage after he discovered that she was allegedly having an extra-marital affair with someone for over six months.

My name is Prasanna, who previously founded Rippling (worth $10B); I'm going through a divorce. I'm now on the run from the Chennai police hiding outside of Tamil Nadu. This is my story.

— Prasanna S (@myprasanna) March 23, 2025

According to Sankar, he came to know of his wife’s adultery after the wife of the married man she was allegedly having an affair with sent him some screenshots of their Whatsapp chats and their hotel bookings.

In response, Dhivya filed for divorce in America, demanding more sizeable alimony money. Not only that, she accused Sankar of domestic violence, rape, and circulating her nude videos. 

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Sankar, in a long thread, claimed that the Singaporean authorities had investigated these charges and cleared his name. However, his estranged wife had filed fake cases against him in India as well, knowing full well the immunity women enjoy within the Indian legal system.

Sankar's social media post details the struggles an Indian man faces while fighting such cases. Instead of being assumed innocent until proven guilty, the Indian men in such cases are presumed guilty, subjecting them to torture and mental agony of the highest order.

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Apart from fighting over the alimony amount, Dhivya is allegedly also using their son’s custody battle to get what she wants. After filing for divorce in the USA, Dhivya allegedly 'abducted' their son to the US to extract more money in alimony.

In reply, Sankar filed an international child abduction case in the US, and the judge ruled in his favour, ordering the return of the child.

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The couple later reached an understanding to share custody of their son and settle in Chennai, with Sankar agreeing to pay a whopping ₹9 crore in alimony and a monthly maintenance of ₹4.3 lakhs.

As part of their mutual agreement, Dhivya had to deposit their child’s passport in a shared bank locker but she allegedly refused to comply with the terms and started claiming that their MoU wasn’t valid. She even threatened to file another divorce case in the US.

When Sankar refused to return their son until the passport was deposited in the common locker, Dhivya filed a kidnapping complaint against him with the Chennai Police.

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Sankar's experience underlines the difficulties men experience in the Indian judiciary when someone accuses them of heinous crimes such as domestic violence or rape.

The presumption of guilt often attaches to the accused and the onus is on them to prove their innocence. Sankar's ordeal is another example of how fake accusations can be weaponised in divorce cases, leading to significant emotional and financial strain.

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The case also highlights the need to initiate legal reforms to find fair and balanced resolutions to such accusations. While it’s important to protect those who suffer from domestic violence and sexual assaults, the legal system must also have mechanisms in place to stop the misuse of these laws.

Sankar's fight is not just a personal battle but a call for implementing equal legal frameworks protecting all parties, irrespective of gender.