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regular-article-logo Friday, 12 June 2026

Singapore court stays six-month jail order against Byju Raveendran in contempt case

With this development, Raveendran is accordingly not required to surrender, and no term of imprisonment takes effect

PTI Published 12.06.26, 06:33 PM
Byju Raveendran

Byju Raveendran File photo

The Singapore High Court has stayed a six-month imprisonment order in a civil contempt matter against Byju Raveendran, the founder of the beleaguered edtech firm Byju's, according to a statement by the entrepreneur on Friday.

Last month, the court ordered six months' imprisonment for contempt of court by the edtech firm founder over alleged non-compliance with disclosure orders, but no arrest warrant was issued. The court had ordered Raveendran to surrender by June 15.

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The court had ordered Raveendran to surrender himself to authorities, pay legal costs of Singapore dollar 90,000 (USD 70,500) and produce documents relating to his ownership of Beeaar Investco Pte, a Singapore entity that held shares in an affiliated company.

"The General Division of the High Court of the Republic of Singapore has granted a stay on June 10, 2026, of its committal and surrender provisions of the recent civil contempt order dated May 25, 2026, following the application filed on behalf of Byju Raveendran," the statement said.

With this development, Raveendran is accordingly not required to surrender, and no term of imprisonment takes effect.

"An appeal against the contempt finding has also been filed," the statement said.

Raveendran said that at times when parties have been engaged in settlement discussions, it is unfortunate that a misleading impression of wrongdoing is being created.

"I remain committed to correcting this narrative through the appropriate legal process. Neither I nor any of the founders personally received any portion of the disputed funds. On the contrary, my family and I have put over Rs 5,000 crore of our personal wealth back into the company," he said.

The case was brought before the Singapore court by a subsidiary of Qatar Investment Authority, which invested in Byju's during a funding round as the company was grappling with layoffs and mounting financial pressure.

The contempt proceedings add to broader legal battles surrounding Byju's, including ongoing litigation in the United States where lenders are seeking to recover losses tied to a USD 1.2 billion term loan.

Senior litigation advisor to Byju Raveendran and the founders, Lazareff Le Bars, J Michael McNutt, said necessary appeals have been filed to set aside this civil contempt finding and further actions are being taken before the courts.

"There is no criminal charge against Byju Raveendran in that respect. It is not a finding on the merits of the underlying dispute, and it is certainly not a finding of fraud, dishonesty, diversion of funds, or personal wrongdoing. No court, in any jurisdiction, has made such a finding against Raveendran," McNutt said.

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