Slander by Dr. G. Venkataraman & Joe Moreno

Among the many intentional untruths that has been spun and spread about Barry Pittard and myself is the claim that we somehow are behind the entire exposè of Sathya Sai Baba. This may seem so to those who only glance at the mass of expose evidence. Apart from early whistle blowers like Tal Brooke and others who received little or no publicity, the sexual abuse allegations were brought into the public sphere by David and Faye Bailey – very close to Sathya Sai Baba before they were overwhelmed by evidence and set about investigating and writing about it all. As soon as this appeared on the Internet, this caused many to write accounts, including numerous sexual abuse descriptions which were highly credible in detail and background. I refused to look at any of them until other matters had increasingly caused me serious doubts about Sai Baba since 1998 V.K. Narasimhan told me in secret about the 1993 murders and blackmail of the police by Sai Baba’s brother. This  I kept to myself until well after V.K. N. died in 2000 and was safe from any retribution.  I first posted an article about Sai Baba’s alleged sex abuses in October 2001! There was already a mass of information and debate on this on the www.

Dr. G. Venkataraman, Sai Baba defender

Dr. G. Venkarataman – head of Radio Sai and member of Sai Baba’s ruling Prashanthi Council – has lied about me on his misnamed “heart-to-heart” website, where he wrote “Robert Priddy who was one of those who started much of this slander claimed that two Vice Chancellors of Universities in Australia supported the allegations.” This is so far the only claim published against my name by any central Sai official. The distinct activity in the exposure of Sathya Sai Baba’s sexual abuses began already from about April 1999  with many testimonies and documented facts about Sathya Sai Baba’s alleged sex abuses, fraud, deceptions – I did not start any of that. The two Vice-Chancellors were contacted before my time by Glen Meloy and Barry Pittard, I have only referred their contacts with them. Since then I have spoken out on many issues known to me (not least through Sai Baba’s close servitor, V.K. Narasimhan – also my close friend and confidante).

Subsequently I was contacted by numerous students describing the sexual abuses they have had – and/or their friends – at the hands by Sathya Sai Baba. This they did in strict confidence (because I can be trusted by them – while Venkataraman most certainly cannot, since he condones the infamous murders and disclaims all the reported abuses and more…).  I am not spreading “slander” but documented facts, recorded experiences and my opinions about them. But now one sees that Venkataraman does about me. I provide sound information! Apropos, Moreno promotes and defends Venkataraman on the Internet, and also posts some of Venkataraman’s writings on his blogsite “Sathya Sai Baba  – Love, Light & Spirituality”. Since G. Venkataraman does not take any issue with this at all, it amounts to a collusive partnership.

Likewise, Barry Pittard’s disaffection was not introduced to the network of ex-followers until shortly after October 1999, having read the article of the former head of the Sathya Sai Organization, Terry Gallagher. Gallagher had scrupulously investigated various allegations at first hand and also confronted Sathya Sai Baba himself. For well over a year after this time Barry Pittard activities were largely separate to my own, and I did not have contact with him until yet later – and then 0nly months later again did I have my first contact with Glen Meloy.  We did not coordinate any work even then – I did not involve myself in any joint project until later when wide participation was invited across former devotee networks.

Among the many instances where Moreno extracts some detail from critical writings to interpret and spin it in the worst possible light, never pausing to consider alternate, common sense explanations, is his frenetic barrage of attacks concerning affidavits stating sexual abuse. He capitalised extensively on the error made by some writers including Pittard in repeating Hari Sampath’s claim (supported by his group of helpers) that he had gathered over a hundred affidavits. In fact the genuine mistake was that these were signed accounts of prime witnesses about sexual abuses but also about related matters, only some of which were formal legal affidavits.

Complete rebuttal of Dr. G. Venkataraman’s untruthful tract to refute the exposé of Sai Baba

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Public Petition for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and his Worldwide Organization
View ex-follower signatures
(Spanish version PETICIÓNPÚBLICA PARA INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES)