The Supreme Court has called for replies from the Centre, CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and 13 states in response to a petition alleging fraudulent activities by motivational speaker Vivek Bindra and his company, Bada Business Pvt Ltd.
The petition accuses Bindra and his firm of engaging in deceptive practices, luring individuals into a Ponzi scheme with promises of significant returns. The plea requests the Centre to establish a Special Investigation Team (SIT) within the CBI to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
A bench comprising MM Sundresh and SVN Bhatti took note of the submissions of senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Shubham Chaudhary and 19 other petitioners, that Bindra and his firm have duped several people of their money.
Application for exemption from filing official translation is allowed. Issue notice returnable in six weeks. Dasti (serving of summons personally without involving a process server) in addition, the bench said in its order of February 26.
The petition stated that Bindra, identified as a self-proclaimed motivational speaker, along with his marketing team, misled the petitioners and numerous young individuals from various states across India. It alleged that the accused employed a strategy wherein they utilized the names of prominent figures on their websites and banner advertisements to extensively promote their courses under Bada Business and Vivek Bindra falsely portraying these personalities as 'Professors' involved in the paid courses.
The extensive advertisements are being run on various social media platforms with the sole purpose of enrolling the youngsters for a course that misleadingly promised to train the enrolled candidates in the modes and methods of building a successful business through which one could earn anywhere between Rs 15,000 and Rs 1,00,000 per month, failing which Vivek Bindra promised to refund the entire fee, the plea said.
To entice unsuspecting young individuals, Bindra purportedly conducted a 10-day MBA program, according to the plea. It is noteworthy to highlight that the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), through a public notice titled Advisory against Fake MBA program targeting youth dated 28/12/2023, explicitly stated that MBA crash courses offered by individuals or organizations like this are deceptive and unsuitable. The notice advised all stakeholders and students to exercise caution and avoid being victimized by such fraudulent offers.