<p>Bengaluru: The London Book of World Records has pushed back against allegations questioning its legitimacy after a controversy erupted over the “world record” certificates awarded to the Karnataka government.</p><p>On October 17, social media was flooded with posts doubting the authenticity of the certificates recognising two achievements — the highest number of women availing themselves of free travel under the Shakti scheme, and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) being named the most award-winning road transport corporation.</p><p>The organisation, which operates from Paharganj in New Delhi, held a press conference at the Press Club of India on October 19 to clarify its position.</p><p>“We only got to know through social media that people were saying all sorts of things about our company. They were all untrue and just plain misunderstandings, so we decided we need to speak up. In this situation, the Karnataka government won’t lose anything because their achievements are real — it is our company name that has been tarnished,” said founder-president Avinash Sakunde, speaking to DH.</p><p>Sakunde admitted that the company had earlier been dissolved “due to address issues” but was later re-registered in the UK. “When people tried to get information through AI tools like ChatGPT, they found the older company details. That’s because ChatGPT isn’t updated in real time, which caused the confusion,” he claimed clarifying that the company had been operational for two years, registered under the Companies Act of 2006 under the Company No. 15807855, and working virtually out of New Delhi.</p>.Science Gallery Bengaluru partners with Imperial College London to boost innovation.<p>However, the press note stated that the company has only been operational since June 2024. And two different company numbers were mentioned in the same document, 15807855 and 15807885. </p><p>“Further, company number 15807885 was dissolved on July 15, 2025, and thereafter another company (No. 16667234) was registered on August 22, 2025, with the same name and person. There is no question of anything dubious or suspicious,” the note stated.</p><p>Avinash defended the organisation’s practice of charging a processing fee before issuing a world record certificate. “We only charged Rs 10,000 for this purpose. Companies like Guinness charge in lakhs. This is how the industry works — once an entity reaches out to us, we verify everything before issuing the record,” he said.</p><p>He said the firm has been operational for two years under Company No. 15807855 and functions virtually from New Delhi. However, the company’s own press note complicates the matter — it says operations began only in June 2024 and cites two different company numbers: 15807855 and 15807885.</p><p>He also clarified that the certificate posted on X by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah — and later deleted — was merely a “sample copy.”</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The London Book of World Records has pushed back against allegations questioning its legitimacy after a controversy erupted over the “world record” certificates awarded to the Karnataka government.</p><p>On October 17, social media was flooded with posts doubting the authenticity of the certificates recognising two achievements — the highest number of women availing themselves of free travel under the Shakti scheme, and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) being named the most award-winning road transport corporation.</p><p>The organisation, which operates from Paharganj in New Delhi, held a press conference at the Press Club of India on October 19 to clarify its position.</p><p>“We only got to know through social media that people were saying all sorts of things about our company. They were all untrue and just plain misunderstandings, so we decided we need to speak up. In this situation, the Karnataka government won’t lose anything because their achievements are real — it is our company name that has been tarnished,” said founder-president Avinash Sakunde, speaking to DH.</p><p>Sakunde admitted that the company had earlier been dissolved “due to address issues” but was later re-registered in the UK. “When people tried to get information through AI tools like ChatGPT, they found the older company details. That’s because ChatGPT isn’t updated in real time, which caused the confusion,” he claimed clarifying that the company had been operational for two years, registered under the Companies Act of 2006 under the Company No. 15807855, and working virtually out of New Delhi.</p>.Science Gallery Bengaluru partners with Imperial College London to boost innovation.<p>However, the press note stated that the company has only been operational since June 2024. And two different company numbers were mentioned in the same document, 15807855 and 15807885. </p><p>“Further, company number 15807885 was dissolved on July 15, 2025, and thereafter another company (No. 16667234) was registered on August 22, 2025, with the same name and person. There is no question of anything dubious or suspicious,” the note stated.</p><p>Avinash defended the organisation’s practice of charging a processing fee before issuing a world record certificate. “We only charged Rs 10,000 for this purpose. Companies like Guinness charge in lakhs. This is how the industry works — once an entity reaches out to us, we verify everything before issuing the record,” he said.</p><p>He said the firm has been operational for two years under Company No. 15807855 and functions virtually from New Delhi. However, the company’s own press note complicates the matter — it says operations began only in June 2024 and cites two different company numbers: 15807855 and 15807885.</p><p>He also clarified that the certificate posted on X by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah — and later deleted — was merely a “sample copy.”</p>