UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s mother-in-law, Sudha Murthy, has been nominated to serve in the upper house of India’s parliament. Sudha Murthy, 73, is married to NR Narayana Murthy, the billionaire co-founder of global tech giant Infosys. Their daughter, Akshata, married Mr. Sunak in 2009. The nomination comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the appointment as an example of women’s power and the potential of women in shaping the nation’s destiny. Sudha Murthy’s contributions to diverse fields, including social work, philanthropy, and education, have been immense and inspiring. Last year, she received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor, for her career in social work. Sudha Murthy, who trained as an engineer, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve her country and marked the honor as a pleasant surprise. She aims to utilize her parliamentary tenure to work for the people of India. Sudha Murthy’s husband, NR Narayana Murthy, has an estimated net worth of $4.7 billion. He borrowed $250 from Sudha Murthy to start Infosys, which is now India’s seventh-largest company and the first Indian company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Sudha Murthy is well-known in India and frequently appears on TV chat shows. She humorously recalled how UK border control officials thought she was joking when she mentioned she would be staying in Downing Street. Sudha Murthy mentioned her role in making her husband a businessman and stated that her daughter has made her husband the Prime Minister of the UK. Their daughter, Akshata Murthy, holds shares in Infosys and appears on the Sunday Times’ 2022 Rich List, with an estimated combined wealth of £730 million ($937 million), alongside Rishi Sunak. Akshata Murthy’s finances have been under scrutiny for her non-domicile (non-dom) status. In April 2022, she announced that she would pay UK taxes on her overseas income to avoid being a distraction for her husband. Non-dom UK residents are not legally required to pay UK taxes on overseas income, but this special status is set to be abolished in April 2025.
