P. Rajagopal (businessman)

P.Rajagopal

Rajagopal with his sons, 2010
Born 1947 (age 67–68)
Punnaiyadi, Tuticorin District, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation Founder of Saravana Bhavan
Net worth Increase US$ 1 billion
Children P. R. Shivakumar and R. Saravanan, sons[1]

P. Rajagopal (Tamil: பி.ராஜகோபால்) (born 1947) is the founder of Saravana Bhavan chain of restaurants. He is the son of a farmer who plied onion wholesale trade. He was born in a small village called Punnaiyadi, Tuticorin District, in 1947. In 1973, a few years after he came to Chennai, he started a general provisions store in K K Nagar. In 1981, he started a small hotel in K K Nagar.[2]

Life sentence

In November 2008, the founder's son P. Shiva Kumar was arrested on a charge of forging documents to smuggle people into the US.

In 2009, the brand value of the restaurant chain plunged after the founder Rajagopal was sentenced to life imprisonment by Madras High Court after being convicted of the murder of employee Prince Santhakumar in 2001 and sexual harassment of his wife Jeevajothi. Antharam was a close friend of Jeevajothi, the daughter of one of his assistant managers. Rajagopal wanted to marry Jeevajothi, but she was interested in Santhakumar. After several warnings when they did not stop meeting, Santhakumar was kidnapped and his body was found a few days later near the Western Ghats mountain ranges.[3][4] Rajagopal is currently free on bail for want of evidence while his case is appealed to the Indian Supreme Court, with no resolution expected to occur anytime in the near future.[5] [6]

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