Copyright timesnownews
For decades, the Hinduja business empire, spread across continents and worth billions, has been governed by a single principle shared by the four Hinduja brothers: “Everything belongs to everyone, and nothing belongs to anyone.” It was this unwritten-but-binding family code that kept the brothers united as one economic unit, blurring the lines between personal wealth and collective control — until illness, inheritance disputes and a courtroom battle tested the pact. Gopichand P. Hinduja, one of the key custodians of that philosophy, died in London at the age of 85, according to an ET Now report citing family sources. The second of the four Hinduja brothers, he is survived by his wife Sunita, sons Sanjay and Dheeraj, and daughter Rita. His elder brother, Srichand Hinduja, passed away in May 2023. The two remaining brothers are Prakash and Ashok. The Pact That Held the Empire Together The Hinduja brothers formalised their shared-ownership principle in a 2014 pact - a document built on the belief that no individual Hinduja “owned” anything, and every asset, stake or business belonged to the family as a whole. In an interview with The Times of India, Ashok Hinduja, the youngest of the four, explained the rule in the presence of his brothers Gopichand and Prakash: “There is no question of separation… or saying that ‘this is mine’… ‘I’m working so much’… ‘The other person is not working’… ‘My company is doing well’. It is not his or her company. They are all working for the common goal — everything is owned by everyone.” This unity, however, came under strain when Srichand’s daughters accused their uncles of sidelining them from key decisions and access to assets as their father’s health declined. Their legal challenge in a UK court brought the private pact into public view. Rift, Reassurance and the Future of the Pact Although the family announced a truce in 2022 due to Srichand’s deteriorating condition, reports of internal disagreement resurfaced after his death. The central fault line remains the same — whether the third generation must abide by a pact they never signed. Ashok Hinduja continues to insist the family remains indivisible. “They (Srichand’s children) are not separated. Nobody can get separated. We still treat them as our children. At the right time, everything will come around. We wait for the right opportunity,” he said. He also made it clear that while exits may be “supported,” the empire itself cannot be split. “If somebody wants to exit, we will support them. He will get his house, he’ll get his living, he’ll get everything. But separation cannot happen. He won’t be able to run the business separately. That concept does not exist in the group. The way Srichand has structured it, nothing can happen (outside of the arrangement),” he added.
