Byju Raveendran has been sentenced to six months in jail by a Singapore judge for contempt of court after transferring assets to a third party while under an asset freeze. The ruling stems from a dispute with the Qatar Investment Authority, which lost money on his once-$22bn edtech venture that collapsed in 2024. Raveendran joined the hearing by video link and was ordered to surrender to officials, but sources say he was not in Singapore.

QIA is suing over bankruptcy proceedings that followed Byju's collapse. Raveendran said a settlement has been agreed in principle, but QIA's decision to continue pressing the matter appears to be an unnecessary pressure tactic. The contempt ruling is another blow for the founder, who has faced litigation across India, the US, and Singapore. Byju's creditors previously sued him for allegedly masterminding the theft of $533mn from a $1.2bn US term loan.

Raveendran is appealing a separate default judgment from a Delaware bankruptcy court issued after he failed to appear for hearings. He denied any wrongdoing and called Byju's debtors "vulture lenders" who had done "shameful" damage. With a settlement supposedly near completion, Raveendran says he has no role in the remaining issues, but the legal pressure from multiple fronts shows no sign of easing.