BENGALURU, Jan 10 (Reuters) - India's Infosys

filed a counterclaim against rival Cognizant in a Texas

federal court on Thursday, accusing the U.S.-based firm of

engaging in anti-competitive practices and poaching key

executives.

India's second-largest software company accused Cognizant of

anti-competitive practices such as including clauses in

contracts that stop clients from awarding IT services work to

competitors and refusing them training on its software.

The Bengaluru-based company also said Cognizant indulged in

targeted recruitment of key senior executives, including

appointing S Ravi Kumar as its CEO in 2023, that delayed its

ability to develop a competing software product called Infosys

Helix.

Infosys and Cognizant did not immediately respond to

Reuters' requests for comments.

The counterclaim comes after Cognizant subsidiary TriZetto

(AXPAST.UL) sued Infosys last August, accusing the Indian tech

major of stealing trade secrets related to its healthcare

insurance software.

TriZetto's Facets and QNXT are used by healthcare insurance

companies to automate administrative tasks.

In its complaint the Teaneck, New Jersey-based company said

Infosys misused TriZetto's software to create "Test Cases for

Facets," which improperly repackaged TriZetto's data into an

Infosys product.

Infosys has sought three times its damages suffered as well

as the awarding of attorney fees and costs related to the case.

The quantum of damages was not disclosed in the filing.

The case is Cognizant TriZetto Software Group Inc v. Infosys

Ltd, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, No.

3:24-cv-02158-X.