Operation YouTube by the DHFL Victims is a peaceful, constitutionally grounded digital protest initiated by the victims of the DHFL financial crisis. The campaign aims to raise awareness and demand accountability from Mr. Ajay Piramal and the Piramal Group, following the allegedly controversial takeover of DHFL, which left lakhs of small depositors—many of them senior citizens—financially devastated. The campaign encourages participants to engage critically with publicly available YouTube content featuring Ajay Piramal by using platform-native tools such as the dislike button and comment sections. Protesters are urged to express their dissent respectfully, truthfully, and within the boundaries of YouTube’s community guidelines and legal frameworks. Rejecting hate or trolling, Operation YouTube asserts the victims’ right to digital dissent and narrative correction. It seeks to challenge one-sided media portrayals and amplify the lived experiences of those impacted by the DHFL crisis. Through hashtags like #DislikeAndDemand and #Justice4DHFL_Victims, the campaign fosters a collective call for transparency, justice, and corporate accountability in a climate of growing crony capitalism. This multilingual initiative is inclusive, lawful, and grounded in democratic ethics—inviting depositors across the country to reclaim their voice in the digital public sphere.
Author Archives: Once In A Blue Moon Academia
We are concentrating on two problems:
1. Devastating financial ecosystem
2. Catastrophic natural ecosystem
OUR OBJECTIVES
The objects of the Society shall be :
1. to promote and to protect human and animal rights in all parts of the world, study and dissemination of promotion knowledge of International Human Right related issues along with convergences of different disciplinary studies in accordance with the Philosophy of Science(s), to solve the problems related to anthropogenic global heating, to develop theory and methods, and their utilities in research and practical applications (e.g., in case of litigation related to financial abuse; psychiatric problems due to unemployment neurosis and financial abuses etc.; problems of climate change-related issues) generally, with special reference to natural and social welfare through non-violent means.
2. to undertake research in various fields of legal and psycho-social sciences, with a goal to the reduce human suffering as far as possible in a non-violent manner with a special emphasis on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, especially on the third pillar in this context, “Access to remedy for victims of business-related abuses”. That is, “Protect, Respect and Remedy” (one of the 31 principles implemented by the United Nations) for all on the issues of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
3. to provide for, and undertake, the collection of information, investigations, projects and operational researches for purposes of planning and the improvement of efficient legislature as well as humane societal norms for the welfare of suffering human and non-human beings.
DSK Legal and the Theatre of Law: A Gandhian Response to Corporate Legalism
This letter, penned by Dr. Debaprasad Bandyopadhyay on behalf of Once in a Blue Moon Academia (OBMA) on July 31, 2025, serves as a principled response to a legal notice from DSK Legal, received mere hours before a mandated court appearance in Mumbai, framing it as an act of civic resistance rather than a mere defense. It critiques the systemic issues of democratic erosion, ecological injustice, and digital rights violations in a corporatized India, highlighting the legal machinery’s tendency to favor wealth and power over truth and people, exemplified by the environmental degradation caused by corporate real-estate and pharmaceutical entities in vulnerable regions like Mumbai and rural Digwal. The letter challenges the timing and logistics of the notice, questions the ethical conduct of DSK Legal—including pagination errors, unsolicited promotions, and potential data misuse under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023—and calls for transparency and accountability, while inviting support for Anti-SLAPP legislation to protect public-interest research and whistleblowing. Rooted in Gandhian non-violent resistance, it critiques the alleged crony capitalism and philanthro-capitalism of figures like Mr. Paramavaisnava, urging a reflection on the broader corporate-state nexus and the need for a legal culture that upholds democratic values.
Slapping off the SLAPP, No Time To Take a Nap! (An Online Mass Petition)
In light of growing threats to democratic dissent in India, this petition urgently calls for the enactment of Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) legislation and a robust data protection framework to safeguard whistleblowers, journalists, and public-interest advocates from legal intimidation and digital surveillance. With SLAPPs weaponized by state-corporate entities to suppress dissent through defamation suits and privacy breaches, and in a context of declining press freedom, weak accountability, and widespread misuse of laws like UAPA and Section 69A, the petition highlights the need for judicial oversight, tort remedies, procedural safeguards, and an independent Data Protection Authority. Drawing on international precedents and constitutional protections under Article 19, it calls on India’s highest authorities to defend free speech, uphold privacy rights, and end the culture of legal harassment.
DHFL Fraud Uncovered: It’s Time to Make the Gatekeepers Pay!
This mass appeal highlights the collective plight of lakhs of small depositors adversely impacted by the Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. (DHFL) financial scandal, exposing significant lapses in auditing, credit rating, and regulatory oversight. Despite glaring irregularities and large-scale fraud involving over ₹31,000 crore, statutory auditors and leading credit rating agencies repeatedly (and reportedly) failed in their fiduciary duties, issuing allegedly misleading assurances that betrayed public trust. The present appeal calls for urgent institutional accountability through independent disciplinary action by regulatory bodies including NFRA, ICAI, SEBI, and RBI, alongside demands for restitution mechanisms for affected depositors. It also underscores the need for enhanced transparency in insolvency resolution processes and structural reforms to prevent recurrence of such financial malfeasance. This appeal represents a broader call for systemic justice, ethical governance, and protection of vulnerable retail investors in India’s financial ecosystem.
From AAA-Ratings to Haircut-Ashes: Rating and Auditing Gaps in the DHFL “Scam”
The article discusses The DHFL scam, one of India’s largest corporate frauds (~₹34,000 crore), involved massive fund diversion through shell companies and fictitious borrowers, as exposed by a Cobrapost sting and later confirmed by KPMG’s forensic audit. Despite clear red flags, credit-rating agencies maintained high ratings, auditors overlooked accounting irregularities, and regulators like SEBI and RBI failed to act swiftly. DHFL defaulted in 2019, became the first NBFC under IBC insolvency proceedings, and was later acquired by Piramal Capital. The scam highlighted systemic failures in governance, auditing, and regulatory oversight, prompting tighter NBFC regulations, strengthened auditing standards, and enhanced corporate governance norms.
Mission SRK: Hold Brand Ambassador Accountable in the DHFL Fiasco!
The article highlights an initiative by financially abused DHFL victims who have sent letters to consumer rights authorities in India and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). They are specifically emphasizing on the role of Shah Rukh Khan, the company’s former brand ambassador, to recognize their plight and support their quest for justice. The victims, many of whom are senior citizens and small investors, contend that SRK’s endorsement fostered their trust in DHFL, which subsequently collapsed, erasing their life savings. This campaign seeks to hold him morally accountable while advocating for increased scrutiny and legal responsibility for celebrities endorsing financial institutions, positioning it as a battle for justice and consumer rights.
Gandhi-Washed “Vaisnava” Capitalism: The Piramal Paradox Or Hypocrisy?
The article critiques Ajay Piramal’s business practices, particularly his acquisition of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL), alleging the possible dramaturgy of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Dharma to mask crony capitalism. It highlights allegations of financial misconduct, insider trading, environmental violations, and political shielding by the BJP, drawing parallels with broader systemic issues like the Adani-Hindenburg dispute. The piece contrasts Piramal’s actions with Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of trusteeship (with critical reservations) and austerity, arguing that his corporate social responsibility (CSR) and philanthropy are superficial, serving as “Gandhi-washing” to obscure profit-driven motives. It frames Piramal’s practices as emblematic of India’s crony-capitalist regime, questioning the integrity of regulatory bodies like SEBI and advocating for vigilance against corporate-political collusion, while noting that these claims remain under judicial scrutiny and are far from being conclusive/definitive. However, the same doesn’t stop one from analyzing the neoliberal face of capitalism in the contemporary India.
Let Them Eat Philanthropy: Piramal’s Divine Economic Paradox
This paper offers a critical, self-reflective interrogation of the intertwined narratives of corporate philanthropy, regressive taxation, and public disenfranchisement in contemporary India, with a particular focus on the Piramal Group. Juxtaposing India’s rising indirect tax burdens on the middle class with corporate tax minimization strategies, the essay exposes the paradox of ‘development’ that privatizes profit while socializing environmental and health costs. Using a blend of sarcasm, literary parody, and empirical data—ranging from GST fluctuations to the crumbling public healthcare system—it deconstructs how ‘philanthropic’ giants like Ajay Piramal reap tax benefits, wield influence through electoral funding, and contribute minimally to actual public welfare, while projecting moral superiority through CSR and token charity. The work situates this critique within broader discourses on crony capitalism, Gandhi’s misappropriated trusteeship, and the Summers Memo logic of “let them eat pollution.” This analysis ultimately questions the ethical legitimacy of corporate altruism in a system rigged for profiteering, illustrating how the economic policies of the last decade have systematically eroded public goods in favour of oligarchic consolidation.
Don’t Let Justice Be Overruled: Honouring NCLT and NCLAT in the DHFL Debacle
In the long and convoluted journey of the DHFL insolvency saga, two quasi-judicial bodies—NCLT and NCLAT—stood out for their timely, bold, and procedurally sound interventions. From directing a reconsideration of the 100% offer to identifying discriminatory irregularities in the resolution process, these tribunals prioritized justice over expediency. This post is both a thanksgiving and a public appeal: NCLT and NCLAT must not allow their principled findings to be buried by later Supreme Court overruling. In an era of post-truth, let institutional memory resist judicial amnesia.
Is change.org a Reliable Petition Public Platform for Justice?
This article interrogates the structural contradictions and opaque operational logic of Change.org, a platform widely regarded as a grassroots petition engine for justice. Drawing on the author’s lived experience with unexplained signature count reductions and suspected content suppression, it situates Change.org within the broader economy of digital activism where public outrage is algorithmically packaged for visibility and monetization. Despite popular assumptions of its progressive orientation, this paper argues that the platform’s apparent ideological tilt is symptomatic not of political commitment but of profit-maximizing emotional amplification. Furthermore, the piece contextualizes these concerns within a case study of the OBMA campaign for DHFL victims, where legal intimidation and social media censorship—allegedly linked to corporate interests—highlight the fragility of digital dissent. The article challenges both the ethical legitimacy and the epistemic reliability of Change.org as a site of justice-oriented mobilization.
Once in a Blue Moon Academia 