Swami Chaitanyananda's web of lies: Used fake endorsements by Steve Jobs, ex-minister and UN Gen secy to sell books

Sources said the 62-year-old self-styled godman, also known as Partha Sarathy, deliberately targeted EWS students, knowing that neither they nor their families would possess the resources or courage to challenge a powerful figure who controlled their academic future.

The godman is accused of sexually harassing 17 women at the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management in Vasant Kunj. Despite multiple raids, he remains on the run after withdrawing his anticipatory bail plea when Delhi Police filed a scathing reply in court.

But investigators say the case extends beyond sexual misconduct. A parallel probe has exposed what appears to be a large-scale academic and publishing fraud. The accused is credited with 28 books and 129 research papers, many available online, projecting the image of a respected management thinker. His works, with titles such as Human Values in Modern Management and Transforming Personality, are presented as serious contributions to management literature.

A closer scrutiny, however, has revealed brazen misrepresentations. One of his books, Forget Classroom Learning, bears a foreword by Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs, who is quoted as calling it “an unprecedented preparatory and guiding manual for the applied world of management.” Promotional material also carries supposed endorsements from former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and even mentions BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad in the reviews.

Investigators are now questioning whether these endorsements were forged to lend credibility to the Swami’s academic empire. “These so-called reviews by global leaders and business icons appear to be part of a calculated scheme to build a false aura around him and his institute,” a source said.

Ashram authorities in Vasant Kunj, where he lived for 12 years claiming to be a “caretaker,” said they had expelled him after the allegations surfaced. Yet, his elaborate biography, still displayed on a website, presents him as a towering academic and spiritual figure. The profile lists him as Chancellor-cum-Chairman of a university, a member of BRICS commissions, a permanent representative to UN bodies and the recipient of several honorary doctorates and fellowships. It even claims that former US President Barack Obama once referred to his book Transforming Personality during his election campaign.