Christopher C. Melcher, the US-based legal counsel representing Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu in his ongoing divorce proceedings in California, has issued yet another detailed public statement after the previous one where he clarified the some of the allegations made by TNM. In this post, he rejected claims made by Vembu’s wife regarding his shareholding in Zoho Corporation Private Limited (ZCPL) and the court orders passed earlier this year.
Responding to growing public scrutiny of the case following The News Minute’s hit job on Sridhar Vembu, Melcher stated that Sridhar Vembu owns only 5% of ZCPL and that this shareholding has remained unchanged since at least 2011. He said Vembu had voluntarily offered last year to transfer 50% of his own shares to his wife, without conditions, and that the offer remains open, but she has refused to accept it.
Melcher said the wife’s claim that Vembu owns 88% of Zoho is “completely false”, adding that corporate records going back more than a decade show that his shareholding has never changed.
He also rejected allegations that Vembu secretly transferred ownership to defraud his wife, stating that such claims were illogical because Vembu could not have anticipated a divorce in 2021 when the alleged transfers supposedly happened in 2011.
According to Melcher, Zoho Corporation and its shareholders have operated for over a decade on the basis that Vembu owns only 5%, and therefore “he cannot transfer more shares to his wife than he owns.”
$1.7 Billion Bond Order Called a Due Process Violation
Melcher disclosed that in January 2025, the California court issued an emergency order after the wife claimed, without evidence, that Vembu owned 88% of Zoho and sought a $1.7 billion bond to secure her alleged 50% interest in that amount.
He said the judge granted the order over strong objection and without due process, calling it “a complete departure from the California justice system.”
Melcher added that the wife’s attorney has not attempted to enforce the bond order for more than six months, which he said amounts to a tacit admission that the order is not legally sustainable. He also said Vembu has no ability to post a bond of that size, highlighting what he described as the absurdity of the ruling.
Receivership Stayed
The lawyer further stated that the receivership order has been completely stayed, that no receiver has taken any action, and that no receiver is currently in place over Zoho, Vembu, or any related entity.
He also alleged a serious procedural violation, stating that a receivership order was passed against Tony Thomas at the same January 2025 hearing even though Thomas had no notice of the hearing and was not present, which he said violated fundamental principles of civil justice.
Melcher said all of these orders are under appeal and accused the wife of advancing “baseless conspiracy theories.” He added that her attorney has already collected millions of dollars in legal fees and has now filed a request seeking an additional $10 million.
According to Melcher, Sridhar Vembu has acted honorably throughout the divorce proceedings. He said Vembu has paid millions of dollars to his wife and her lawyers during the case and has transferred the family residence to her outright without receiving payment for his own half of the property. He also denied that Vembu abandoned his wife.
Thank you @DeepikaBhardwaj for bringing light to this story. I can provide more background for those who have any question whether Sridhar Vembu has done anything wrong
Sridhar owns 5% of the shares of Zoho Corporation Private Limited (ZCPL). He offered last year to transfer 50%…
— Christopher C. Melcher (@CA_Divorce) January 11, 2026
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