Infy says top exec stalled suite before joining Cognizant

Infosys Ltd has alleged that its former executive S Ravi Kumar deliberately delayed the rollout of its product rival-ling Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp's healthcare software as he was in talks to join as the chief executive of the Nasdaq-listed firm.

- Jas Bardia

Infosys Ltd filed a complaint in a US court on Thursday, claiming that Kumar delayed Helix, Infosys's healthcare claims processing software, by 18 months when he was negotiating a switch to Cognizant.

Kumar quit Infosys in October 2022 and took over as its rival's CEO in January 2023.

The claim by Infosys in a filing dated 9 January—and reviewed by Mint—is a rare instance of a case being filed against its former employee.

The counter-complaint stretches the legal battle between the two of the world's largest software services providers.

The first salvo was fired by Teaneck, New Jersey-headquartered Cognizant in August last year, alleging that Bengaluru-based Infosys stole trade secrets from its healthcare software arm TriZetto.

"Cognizant is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in all business operations and will take decisive action to address any allegations that compromise competitive standing," said the company in an emailed response to Mint's queries.