Just wanted to know if there are any startups/small companies that are not having an office in India but have developers (as regular employees, in their payroll) based out of India. Am trying to understand the legalities and taxation details involved. Would it cost a lot for a startup in US/Europe to maintain a workforce of developers in India?
Disclosure: I am a programmer based in India.
Since an Indian citizen doesn't live in the U.S. then none of these sorts of laws apply. So, from the U.S. perspective, you would simply be a contractor and your services would be a tax write-off.
You specifically mentioned you aren't asking about companies which have a business in India, so that's out.
Conclusion: I don't know about Europe but I imagine it's the same as the U.S. Because you don't live in the U.S. you will always be a contractor and the only tax / legal implications is that payments towards your services are a write-off. You would be a regular employee in name only. You wouldn't necessarily receive any of the benefits that typically go along with the status of "regular employee."