10 years after Satyam: Who's who in the business scandal that shocked India

From Ramalinga Raju to S Gopalakrishnan, the key players in the scandal and their roles explained

B Ramalinga Raju: Former chairman and founder, Satyam Computer Services

The eldest of four siblings in a farming family, B Ramalinga Raju's tryst with business began early, when he founded Satyam Computer Services at 33. Being an early starter in the business, Raju and his company had unfettered access to who's who of business and politics. That helped. Within four years, Satyam landed its first fortune 500 client, John Deere. 

For the next 22 years, Satyam Computer and Raju were the shining stars of the Indian information technology industry. On January 7, 2009, both the stars imploded, leaving India's fourth-biggest IT firm and its 53,000 employees in a lurch. 

Raju, now 64, is currently out on bail. The beleaguered IT-czar, two of his brothers and his holding company, SRSR Holdings, have been barred by Sebi from the securities markets for 14 years, starting July 2014. The brothers have also been asked to pay back close to Rs 813 crore worth of unlawful gains and interest accrued by them.

Vadlamani Srinivas: Former chief financial officer

In his deposition before the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), right after the Satyam scam came to light, Vadlamani Srinivas, former chief financial officer of Satyam Computer Systems, had said that Raju and his brothers were solely responsible for cooking the accounts books. 

Probe agencies, however, differed from his view. Srinivas was held guilty for wilfully and actively manipulating financial data as well as guiding finance department staff in publishing modified results. Srinivas was also blamed for forging bank balance statements and getting them signed by Ramalinga Raju, which were then used for inflating the cash and bank balances on the company's books. 

Though out on bail, Srinivas has been ordered by Sebi to pay back up to Rs 15.65 crore plus 12 per cent interest per annum (calculated from January 7, 2009). He has also been barred from the securities market for seven years starting July 2014. He has also been removed permanently from the list of approved auditors by the ICAI.

Talluri Srinivas: Former external auditor

For many, Talluri Srinivas was the guy caught in the crossfire. Srinivas was a statutory auditor at Satyam Computer when the company went belly up in 2009. A special court in Hyderabad had awarded a seven-year jail term to Srinivas for being involved in the fraud, while the ICAI had found him guilty of professional misconduct and removed his name from the Register of Members permanently. He was also fined Rs 5 lakh by the Institute.  He retired from Price Waterhouse in 2015.

S Gopalakrishnan: Former external auditor

In his deposition, Vadlamani Srinivas had tried to shield S Gopalakrishnan, the then statutory auditor of Satyam Computer and working with Price Waterhouse. A preliminary investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, however, revealed that Gopalakrishnan “consciously” overlooked the irregularities on Satyam's books and knowingly certified the inflated and falsified data presented to them. The ICAI found him guilty of professional misconduct and removed his name from the Register of Members permanently. It also fined him Rs 5 lakh. Gopalakrishnan retired from his partnership at Price Waterhouse in 2009.