Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani on Tuesday said the company had followed the right procedure in its responses to the recent whistleblower allegations even as he maintained that the speculation of co-founders and former employees being involved in the charges were “appalling” and seems to be aimed at tarnishing the image of some of “the most accomplished and respected individuals”.

Speaking at its annual analyst meeting in Bangalore, Nilekani said every aspect of the allegations would be thoroughly investigated and corrective action, if warranted, would be taken after the probe was completed.

Infosys was hit by allegations of fresh corporate governance lapses, with a set of employees, who called themselves “Ethical Employees”, accusing CEO Salil Parekh and CFO Nilanjan Roy of “unethical practices” to boost revenue and profits and not following the right accounting practices.

Stating that even “God cannot change the numbers of this company’’, Nilekani said Infosys had a strong process and an outstanding finance team, but one should wait for the report to come out.

After the whistleblower allegations became public, Infosys had announced that the audit committee had began consultations with independent internal auditor Ernst & Young on the terms of reference for their prima facie investigation and apart from this step, the panel had retained law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas to conduct an independent investigation.

While there has been some criticism of the delay by Infosys in reporting the allegations, — an announcement was made after the charges became public — Nilekani said the audit committee served as the custodian of the whistleblower process and it promptly investigated complaints.

“The investigation process allows the company to determine the validity of the complaint. Should an investigation substantiate the allegations of a complaint, the company promptly undertakes remedial steps and makes disclosures if required.

“Infosys’s response to the recent whistleblower allegation adhered to the company policy and the past practices and complied with all applicable laws and regulations. Contrary to reports that assert otherwise, I can say with certainty that the company acted responsibly in response to the complaint,” Nilekani said.

He said the company’s response to the complaints was reasonable and consistent with US and Indian laws both of which recognise the importance of investigating such claims before disclosing them.

Steady deals

To another query, Nilekani said the development had not affected business at Infosys, with deal wins at the company continuing at a good pace.

In a separate statement, Infosys slammed speculations of co-founders and former employees being involved in the recent whistleblower allegations.