India appoints UK PM Rishi Sunak’s mother-in-law, Sudha Murthy, to parliament

Sudha Murthy, 73, is the former chair of the Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the global tech behemoth Infosys her husband N.R. Narayana Murthy co-founded in 1981.

The couple’s daughter Akshata married Sunak in 2009.

Most members of India’s upper house are elected but 12 of them, usually high achievers in public life, are nominated to the chamber by the president for a six-year term.

Murthy, whose appointment takes immediate effect, said her nomination was a “privilege and honour”.

An engineer by training, Murthy is also a feted author and her foundation is credited with establishing libraries in rural areas.

The Indian government last year bestowed Sudha with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, for her career in social work.

Her husband Narayana has an estimated net worth of US$4.7 billion, according to Forbes.

In the past he has said he needed to borrow money from his wife to start his firm, now India’s seventh-largest by market cap and the first Indian company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Sunak, 43, became the first British prime minister of South Asian descent in 2022 – a milestone year for India’s relationship with its former colonial ruler.