Key Points
Sathya Sai Baba built a global spiritual empire spanning more than 120 countries, drawing followers from politics, business, and popular culture.
For decades, he faced sustained allegations of sexual abuse, fraud, institutional cover-ups, and even murder, though no criminal conviction was ever secured.
Some of the most serious allegations against him detail repeated and sustained sexual assault against young men and boys. Over the years more and more ex-followers have come out with their stories, though believers continue to deny or ignore the accusations.
On 23 November 1926, Sathyanarayana Raju was born in the small village of Puttaparthi in what is now Andhra Pradesh. By his mid-teens, he had declared himself the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a 19th-century saint revered by both Hindus and Muslims. Over the next six decades, he would come to be known globally as Sathya Sai Baba, attracting millions of devotees who regarded him as a living god.
Dressed in saffron robes and instantly recognisable by his distinctive afro hairstyle, Sathya Sai Baba preached a universalist spiritual message centred on five values: truth, right conduct, peace, love, and non-violence. His oft-repeated maxims, “Love all, serve all” and “Help ever, hurt never,” helped him transcend sectarian boundaries. Followers were encouraged not to abandon their own religions, but to deepen their faith through service. This inclusive message, combined with large-scale philanthropic projects, allowed Sai Baba’s movement to grow rapidly in India and abroad.
Sathya Sai Baba’s movement expanded rapidly beyond India from the 1960s onward. By the time of his death in April 2011, the Sri Sathya Sai International Organization (SSSIO) claimed more than 1,200 centres across over 100 countries. Followers included artists, business leaders, and political figures. Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro publicly acknowledged Sai Baba’s influence, and Venezuela’s National Assembly declared a day of mourning after his death.
Now, with the recent kidnapping of Venezuelan President Maduro, Sathya Sai Baba’s legacy has once again come into the spotlight. Maduro, a staunch socialist politician, has been an ardent follower of the Baba since long before his presidency – he and his wife once visited his ashram in Andhra Pradesh back in 2005. Even after his ascent to office, Maduro maintained his spiritual connection to the saint, with a portrait of the saint adorning his office walls alongside those of Simón Bolívar and Hugo Chávez.
Of course, Sathya Sai Baba’s rekindled legacy brings back a spotlight on his charitable works and global reach, but also casts a shadow on the authenticity, intention, and sanctity of the godman.
Central to Sathya Sai Baba’s appeal were his purported miracles. Devotees claimed he could materialise sacred ash known as vibhuti, jewellery, watches, gold and silver, and even food from thin air. Public darshan gatherings frequently featured such displays, which followers cited as proof of his divinity.
Rationalists, however, challenged these claims for decades. Critics such as Basava Premanand, founder of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, argued that Sathya Sai Baba’s miracles relied on sleight-of-hand techniques used by stage magicians. He consistently refused to perform his feats under controlled conditions, stating that spiritual power could not be tested by science.
One widely cited incident occurred on 29 August 1992 at a public event in Hyderabad attended by then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who was a known patron of the Baba. Footage captured by Doordarshan reportedly showed Sathya Sai Baba’s assistant handing him a gold chain moments before it was “materialised.” According to reports, the broadcast tapes were later destroyed on orders by the channel’s editor, though copies circulated independently. Today, multiple videos supposedly exposing the Baba’s cons can be found online.
The most serious accusations against Sathya Sai Baba concern sexual abuse – accounts from countless former followers allege repeated instances of molestation and assault by the Baba against young men and boys. Rumours circulated as early as the 1970s, but they gained international prominence through investigative journalism and former devotees increasingly going public with their experiences.
In 1976, former American follower Tal Brooke published Avatar of the Night, alleging sexual misconduct by the saint. These claims were dismissed by the tightly controlled SSSIO. The issue resurfaced more forcefully in the early 2000s with the rise of the internet and the 2004 BBC documentary Secret Swami.
Multiple former devotees, including Al Rahm, Mark Roche, and Sam Young, described strikingly similar experiences during private interviews at the ashram. Several alleged that Sathya Sai Baba applied oil to their genitals under the pretext of ‘healing’, kissed them on the mouth, or coerced them into oral sex. Rahm stated that the Baba warned him never to speak of the encounter, saying others would not understand.
Rahm later alleged that his teenage son, Alaya, was repeatedly abused during private interviews between 1995 and 1999. In affidavits and interviews, Rahm claimed Sathya Sai Baba threatened supernatural punishment and genital mutilation if the abuse was disclosed. Despite these allegations being shared with senior figures in the SSSIO, including international coordinator Michael Goldstein, no internal investigation led to criminal proceedings.
Sathya Sai Baba publicly denied all accusations. In a 2000 address to followers, he said attempts to tarnish his image were driven by “mean-mindedness,” adding that false allegations would only increase his glory. Reports from over the years reveal that many of his followers either took a similar stand by dismissing the accusations, or simply accepted the situation as necessary to be touched by the godman’s grace.
However, as NGOs dedicated to rehabilitating cult followers have extended support to the cause, more and more victims have come forth with their stories, most of which provide similar accounts of Sathya Sai Baba’s pattern of abuse.
On the night of 6 June 1993, violence erupted inside Sathya Sai Baba’s private quarters at Prasanthi Nilayam. Four young male devotees entered the premises armed with knives. During a struggle with bodyguards, two attendants were stabbed to death. Police were summoned and subsequently shot dead all four intruders, claiming self-defence.
The incident raised several unresolved questions: why the men entered armed, what grievances they held, and why Sathya Sai Baba, a key witness, was never formally questioned. The Criminal Investigation Department later accused local police of tampering with the crime scene. The case was eventually dropped, reportedly following intervention by the central government.
Sathya Sai Baba’s extraordinary influence extended deep into India’s political and bureaucratic elite. Prime ministers, presidents, judges, and senior police officials regularly visited Puttaparthi. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee once dismissed allegations against the Baba as “wild, reckless and concocted” in an official letter.
Internationally, concerns were also raised. The US State Department issued a travel warning referencing “inappropriate sexual behaviour by a prominent local religious leader,” later confirmed to refer to Sathya Sai Baba. UNESCO withdrew co-sponsorship of a conference in Puttaparthi citing concern over allegations involving youth and children.
Despite complaints being lodged with agencies including the FBI and British Home Office, no foreign authority could pursue charges for alleged crimes committed in India. And Indian authorities never filed a single case against Sathya Sai Baba.
Sathya Sai Baba died on 24 April 2011 at the age of 84 after weeks of hospitalisation. Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described his death as an “irreparable loss.” In places like Puttaparthi, devotion shaped daily life. The town developed into a vast complex of hospitals, universities, hotels, and an airport, all funded by donations to the SSSIO. For many devotees, the saint’s charitable institutions and personal charisma outweighed any doubts raised by allegations.
Yet for critics and survivors, his passing left fundamental questions unanswered. No court ever adjudicated the sexual abuse claims. No independent inquiry fully examined the 1993 killings or allegations of financial opacity. For supporters, the Baba remains a divine figure whose humanitarian work speaks for itself. For detractors, he represents the dangers of unchecked charisma, institutional silence, and the conflation of faith with power.
More than a decade after his death, Sathya Sai Baba’s life stands as a case study in contradiction: revered by millions, accused by many, and emblematic of how spiritual authority can endure even in the shadow of numerous, serious allegations.
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