Giving sanskar, not stock tips: Bollywood-styled trading guru Avadhut Sathe under Sebi scanner

Avadhut Sathe, the flamboyant trading coach who turned stock lessons into Bollywood-style stagecraft, is under the scrutiny of India’s markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), even as his academy insists they sell “sanskar” and discipline, not stock tips.

In a press statement, the Avadhut Sathe Trading Academy (ASTA) said it is “fully cooperating with Sebi” but stressed that it is not an advisory firm or a financial influencer. “We do not publish or circulate research reports or stock recommendations. We do not provide personalised investment advice for consideration. We also do not give trade tips, stock calls, or promise assured returns,” the release said.

The academy described itself as a training institution rooted in a “Gurukul learning system” that seeks to build independent traders. “Our focus has always been to develop independent traders and investors through structured training programs,” ASTA said, adding that it welcomes Sebi’s guidance to ensure compliance and transparency.

Sebi raid last week

The clarification comes days after Sebi conducted a search-and-seizure operation at ASTA’s Karjat premises on August 20, seizing digital devices and trading data, according to reports. The action, led by a deputy general manager, followed complaints that penny stocks were being promoted in classroom sessions.

The regulator has in recent months intensified scrutiny of financial influencers and trading coaches, many of whom promote courses that hint at assured returns or unlicensed advisory.

Sathe’s rise

Sathe, 52, is among India’s most prominent trading coaches, known for mixing technical analysis with Bollywood-style theatrics, often breaking into dance mid-lecture while urging students to join him on stage. His YouTube channel has more than 9 lakh subscribers, and ASTA claims to have trained over 62,000 participants across 51 countries.

Raised in a Dadar chawl before building a career in IT overseas, Sathe quit his job in 2007 to focus on trading and teaching. From a 12-person seminar in 2008, he has grown ASTA into one of India’s largest retail trading schools, with courses priced around Rs 18,000 per module.

A bigger regulatory battle

India’s equity markets, now the world’s fourth largest with more than 20 crore demat accounts, have seen an influx of retail investors. Regulators argue that unchecked financial education businesses risk misleading this new class of traders.

For Sathe, who frames trading as both a livelihood and a national mission, the clash with Sebi may determine whether his brand of Bollywood-style market evangelism can survive in an era of stricter oversight.

Also read | Who is Avadhut Sathe, the Bollywood-style trading guru now under Sebi lens?

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