Athira Sethu
Kochi, 6 Dec 2025
Sebi, the capital market regulator of India, has taken stringent action against popular financial influencer Avadhut Sathe as well as his firm Avadhut Sathe Trading Academy (ASTAPL). Sebi has barred Sathe and his firm from accessing the stock market. The regulator also asked them to refund ₹601.37 crore collected illegally from over 3.37 lakh people, along with interest. The amount is believed to be money earned through prohibited activities.
Sebi said Sathe and his academy were acting as unregistered investment advisors-contrary to the requirement under the law that anyone advising people on stock markets has to be registered. They have been providing stock tips and market views through training programmes marketed as educational courses to thousands of people.
SEBI presented its findings in a lengthy 125-page order. In the view of the regulator, Sathe was, in substance, the principal operator of an entire scheme. He induced his students to deal in some specific securities and provided specific buy-sell signals to them. While it was billed as training, what Sathe was actually doing was providing investment advice without any registration. The funds collected from the students were deposited in the bank accounts of Sathe and his company.
The investigation also revealed that Sathe and ASTAPL were “recklessly misleading” people. They convinced many investors to make trading decisions based on their advice. Sebi checked their activities from July 2017 up to October 2025. During this period, the academy marketed its courses by showing only the best trades of its students. Examples of high profits were shown to give an impression of their methods always yielding results. However, Sebi discovered that such claims had no validity and had the potential to mislead ordinary people who act upon their guidance.
Sebi has now given immediate orders to prevent further detriment to investors. Sathe and his academy should desist from issuing any investment advice or research services. They cannot make any advertisement regarding past performances or students’ profits. And they cannot show live stock market data during their training sessions.
Sebi said such strong steps were required in the interest of investor protection. It would ensure that Sathe and his company do not collect any more money through the sale of such unregistered advice or mislead more people. The action is aimed at halting misleading promotions and protecting investors from activities that may jeopardize their money.
