• Source:JND
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Hinduja Human Trafficking Case: The Hindujas, Britain's richest family, have landed in legal trouble after four family members have been accused of human trafficking and mistreatment of domestic staff in Switzerland. Presently, they are on trial in a Swiss court, where a prosecutor alleges that their family has spent more on caring for their pet dog than their servants.

Four members of the family have been accused of confiscating the passports of their staff members and paying them as little as Rs 600 for long hours of work.

Who Are Hindujas? 

According to Mint, quoting Forbes, the Hinduja Family, which controls the Hinduja group, an MNC conglomerate, was worth $20 billion in 2023. The group has a business spanning from trucks and lubricants to banking and cable television. 

Gopichand Hinduja took over as chairman of the group after his older brother Srichand Hinduja died last year. The family, according to Forbes, was the seventh richest in India (2023), the 146th richest in the world in 2022, and dropped off the list in 2023. In 2017, they were the 12th richest in Asia.

What Is Human Trafficking Case Again Hinduja Family?

According to NDTV, the Swiss prosecutor Yves Bertossa stated that the family's yearly spending on their dog amounted to 8,584 Swiss francs (₹ 8,09,399), whereas some staff allegedly worked up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, for as little as 7 Swiss francs (₹ 660) per day. It was also alleged that the passports of the staff members from India were confiscated, leading to their restriction on their freedom to leave the premises without permission. According to Swiss law, this potentially constitutes human trafficking. 

The staff were paid in currency, leaving them without money in Switzerland. The contract of the staff reportedly did not mention the working hours or number of days off; however, they were required to be available as per the needs of the family.

Amid the allegations, the defence has responded and claimed that they treated the staff with respect and provided them with accommodation and meals as part of their compensation. It has also been said that the family was not directly involved in hiring or managing the staff.

According to media reports, the prosecutors are asking for lengthy prison sentences for Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay, and his wife Namrata. They also want the family to pay 1 million Swiss francs for court costs and set up a 3.5 million francs compensation fund for the staff affected.