THE SAI PETITION - ORIGINAL STATEMENT VALID UP UNTIL SATHYA SAI BABA'S DEATH (APRIL 2011)

Due to his death, the impossibility of bringing Sathya Sai Baba to justice means the signing the petition has no further function, so the saipetition.net site is discontinued. That he could not be brought into court beforehand is due entirely to his being protected entirely by the Indian government and judiciary, firstly by Narasimha Rao and his Home Minister S.B. Chavan with support of ex-High Chief Justice P.N. Bhagwati, subsequently by all Prime Ministers and Presidents of India, who had already compromised themselves by becoming his public worshippers and promoters before the major allegations and attempts to convict Sai Baba came foth in 1999 and thereafter.

Public Petition
for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization
(The Spanish version PETICIÓN PÚBLICA PARA INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES DE SATHYA SAI BABA Y SU ORGANIZACIÓN A NIVEL MUNDIAL)

To:  All governments, human rights institutions, all religious and spiritual leaders, NGOs, politicians
and official functionaries, and the media organizations of all countries.

This Petition is to bring attention to serious allegations of child molestation and homosexual abuse by Sathya Sai Baba at his ashrams in South India, involving many victims there including boys and young men visiting from other countries. Another grave concern is the issue of unresolved murders at Sai Baba's main ashram in 1993. Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian man who claims to be the full manifestation of God on earth, is worshipped by several million followers from most countries of the world. These followers include heads of state, royalty and other well-known dignitaries. In the highest echelons of the Indian government, judiciary, and civil service (IAS) are many followers, including former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and the current Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

Sathya Sai Baba has been charged by many individual victims of his assaults. The world's leading investigative newspaper media have reported on his alleged sexual molestations of numerous boys and young men from all over the world, many of whom were raised to believe that he was God Almighty. Some of the many highly credible personal testimonies can be examined at http://www.saiguru.net/ or at http://www.exbaba.com/.

Certain officials of the Sathya Sai Organization have failed in their moral and compassionate duty by disregarding and not alerting membership to the allegations, thus putting minors at risk in Sai Baba's presence. (In some countries, sexual abuse is taken so seriously that Mandatory Reporting laws exist.) These officials, some being educators and health care professionals, have lacked the moral courage to exercise due care, instead complying with a campaign of secrecy and cover-up, the alleged molestations having continued for at least 30 years. A directive was issued to various high office-bearers in the organization banning discussion of these allegations in the centres.

The US State Department is aware of these many allegations of sexual abuse and in effect for all US travellers going to India, making specific reference to Andhra Pradesh State, where Sathya Sai Baba’s main ashram is located. (see below, 1-) In mid 2004, as referred to in the BBC's The Secret Swami, the US State Department confirmed to the BBC that Sathya Sai Baba was, in fact, the Indian religious teacher referred to, but not by name, in its warning to US travellers to Andhra Pradesh.

Further, a British MP has lodged questions in the House of Commons concerning possible risk to the children of UK citizens visiting Sai Baba in India. (see below, 2-)

UNESCO officially withdrew from an educational conference planned for September 2000 at Sai Baba's ashram under the auspices of the Sathya Sai Organization, citing "widely reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youth and children ... levelled at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba." (see below, 3-)

In June 1993, Sai Baba passively stood by while six persons were murdered in his apartments in Prashanthi Nilayam independent township, his main ashram, known to be completely under his strict control. After discussions between Sai Baba's officials and the local police, the police shot at close range and in cold blood killed four of these persons. Although Sai Baba reportedly first spoke to the intruders and remained nearby throughout the whole episode, conferring with his officials, he was not even questioned by police or law investigators! Due to their serious inconsistency and ineptitude, the case was taken over from the local police by the CBI, but the entire investigation was subsequently quashed by government order by the intervention of devotees of Sai Baba holding top positions of political power. Thus, no adequate court action was taken and no justice or redress was possible for the victims’ families. (see below, 4 and 5-)

In terms of human rights, local governments, as well as the national government of India, are obliged to investigate all well-founded accusations of violations of human rights they receive. To sustain police or judicial inactivity violates the human rights of the victims and turns also the civil authorities into violators of human rights.

We appeal to all those who wish that these matters should be properly investigated, and who wish that the responsible persons be made accountable through proper legal process, to PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION. We especially appeal to all religious and spiritual leaders, NGOs, politicians and official functionaries, and the media organizations of all countries to participate. This Petition is for the benefit of the general public and will be sent to any relevant authority that may forward the Petition. Please see sign-up instructions on the page.

The initiators of this Petition (see the Undersigned, below) each left the Sathya Sai Baba cult for various reasons. Some have been active members of the Sathya Sai Organization for many years, others did not hold office in the SSO but were devoted followers. See also personal resignation letters at www.saiguru.net

SOURCE DOCUMENTATION
Source documentation for the above matters is to be found on the Internet at a number of websites, as follows:

1.The US State Department’s warning to citizens travelling to Andhra Pradesh, November 23, 2001:

India - Consular Information Sheet
Under the heading CRIME INFORMATION found for over 6 years under 'Consular information' at US State Government Travel Warnings for India The text read:-
"U.S. citizens should be aware that there have been reports of inappropriate sexual behavior by a prominent local religious leader at an ashram or religious retreat located in Andhra Pradesh. Most of the reports indicate that the subjects of these approaches have been young male devotees, including a number of U.S. citizens. Although these reports are unconfirmed, U.S. citizens should be aware of this information and contact the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai for further information."(The page was last viewed as posted by the U.S. State Department as of 2006 - for fuller information on the travel warning see how the BBC investigated the travel warning and received direct confirmation from the Embassy in New Delhi that it applies to Sathya Sai Baba here.

As of May 25, 2004, the U.S. State Department will verify that the 'local religious leader' is in fact Sathya Sai Baba. For enquiries other than by the Media, contact: John C. Peters, <PetersJC2@state.gov> Phone: 202 647-6179 Citizen Services Specialist for India, American Citizen's Services Unit. U.S. State Department. Washington, D.C. For further details, click here.

Sai Baba is by far the most prominent religious leader in Andhra Pradesh. The actual name was no doubt omitted only because charges have not been laid.

2. British MP Tony Colman’s question in Parliament and letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair and Tony Blair’s reply. (See: Motion in The House of Commons, U.K. by M.P. Tony Colman and the facsimile here- which is from the UK’s House of Commons website and Letter by Prime Minister Tony Blair)

3. The International Headquarters of UNESCO issued a formal Media Advisory on September 15, 2000 (go to UNESCO advisory here) stating that it would no longer sponsor or take part in a conference it had been due to co-organize with the Institute of Sathya Sai Education (Thailand) and The Flinders University Institute of International Education (Australia). The Advisory said that UNESCO was no longer associated in any way – through sponsorship, organization or participation of any kind – with the conference and that UNESCO was deeply concerned about widely-reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that had been levelled at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba. (The complete text of UNESCO WITHDRAWS FROM CONFERENCE – Paris 15/9/2000 – can be read on the website www.saiguru.net). Neither UNESCO not any other branch of the UNO has had any cooperation with the Sathya Sai Organization since then.

4. The four executed followers, who reportedly only wished to speak to Sai Baba, killed two of Sai Baba’s attendants in a knife fight. Sai Baba later publicly declared that there was no attempt on his life.
Commenting upon the murders at the time, the International Chairman of Sai Baba’s Organization and a member of the Sathya Sai Central Trust, Indulal Shah, stated to pressmen: “…the matter is purely internal and we do not wish to have any law enforcement agency investigating into it.” (The Hindu, 10-6-1993). The only possible meaning of this is that the International Chairman of the Sathya Sai Organization would put the perpetrators of such major crimes completely above and beyond the law. This is exactly what has occurred so far.

5. For a documentation of most relevant reports, transcripts, proceedings and related materials on the murders issue, examine the 844-page book Murders in Sai Baba’s Bedroom by B. Premanand (publ. Premanand. 11/7 Chettipalayam Road, Podnadur, 641 023 Tamil Nadu, India). An overview covers the history of the alleged sexual abuses by Sathya Sai Baba. Transcripts and other data can be examined at http://exbaba.com/assassinations.html – under the textbox “Murders” (see especially: “Excerpts from newspaper reports about the murders in Sai Baba's vicinity”). A full coverage of web pages relevant to the 1993 murders and the aftermath is found here.

6. The BBC one-hour documentary "The Secret Swami" for BBC2 & BBC WORLD television (2004), in which first-hand testimonies about the sexual allegations and about the murder investigations are given - and in which leading persons in the Sai Organisation and former Indian Government are questioned - can be viewed in summary and short video clips (click here)

Sincerely,
THE JuST GROUP (Just Seekers of Truth),

The Public Petition for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization is addressed to all governments, human rights institutions, all religious and spiritual leaders, NGOs, politicians and official functionaries, and the media organizations of all countries was created by Just Seekers of Truth and written by Arthur Klein. 

Some news about this petition is posted at http://www.saiguru.net/english/articles/

See also The Dr. John Hislop letters concerning sexual abuse allegations

Two regularly up-dated blogs summarising materials relevant to the above are
1)'Call for Media and Government Investigation of Sathya Sai Baba - India's most Controversial Guru' click here, by Barry Pittard (a global coordinator in the effort to expose Sathya Sai Baba and his worldwide Sathya Sai Organization).

2) Sathya Sai Baba Deceptions Exposed Exposing major deceits by guru Sathya Sai Baba in India, incl. murders cover-up & widely alleged sexual abuse