CBI court acquits Ramdev’s aide Balkrishna in passport forgery case

A CBI court in Dehradun has acquitted Acharya Balkrishna, close aide of Yoga Guru Ramdev and general secretary of Patanjali Yogpeeth, along with co-accused Naresh Chandra Dwivedi, in a 15-year-old passport forgery case.

Dehradun:  A CBI court in Dehradun on Monday acquitted Acharya Balkrishna—a close associate of Yoga Guru Ramdev and general secretary of Patanjali Yogpeeth—in a 15-year-old case involving the procurement of a passport based on forged educational and other documents.

The court of the Special Judicial Magistrate (CBI) also acquitted Naresh Chandra Dwivedi, a co-accused charged with providing forged documents to Balkrishna.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a case and initiated an investigation in 2011 following a complaint alleging that Balkrishna was a Nepali national who had obtained an Indian passport using forged documents. However, after a prolonged trial, the court acquitted the accused.

Following the court’s verdict, Balkrishna said that he has full faith in the judicial system. He, however, said that the long legal process was exhausting and he had to endure humiliation, disrepute, and the negative energy of others during the process.