P. Rajagopal, widely known as the 'Dosa King' for building the global Saravana Bhavan restaurant empire, became the center of a high-profile criminal case in India. The legal proceedings centered on allegations that Rajagopal ordered the 2001 murder of Prince Santhakumar. Prosecutors argued that Rajagopal sought to marry Santhakumar’s wife, Jeevajothi, and viewed the husband as an obstacle to his desires.

Following the murder, Rajagopal faced a lengthy judicial process. In 2004, a trial court initially sentenced him to ten years in prison for culpable homicide. However, the case moved through various appellate levels, with the Madras High Court later upgrading the conviction to murder and sentencing him to life imprisonment. In 2019, the Supreme Court of India upheld the life sentence, rejecting Rajagopal's plea for more time to surrender on medical grounds. He surrendered to authorities in July 2019 and passed away shortly thereafter while in custody.

The case drew significant public attention due to the contrast between Rajagopal’s status as a celebrated entrepreneur who provided affordable, high-quality vegetarian food to millions and the violent nature of the crime he was convicted of committing. While the legal facts of the conviction are settled, the case remains a subject of true crime analysis due to the combination of extreme wealth, obsession, and the eventual collapse of his public reputation.