The CBI had opened the case in 2011 following a complaint alleging that Balkrishna was a Nepali citizen who had used fabricated educational and other documents to secure an Indian passport.
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A CBI court in Dehradun has acquitted Acharya Balkrishna, a close associate of yoga guru Ramdev and general secretary of Patanjali Yogpeeth, in a 15-year-old case related to allegations of obtaining an Indian passport using forged documents.
The Special Judicial Magistrate (CBI) court also cleared co-accused Naresh Chandra Dwivedi, who had been accused of supplying the allegedly fake documents to Balkrishna.
Case dates back to 2011
The CBI had opened the case in 2011 following a complaint alleging that Balkrishna was a Nepali citizen who had used fabricated educational and other documents to secure an Indian passport.
The allegations led to a prolonged legal battle, with the case continuing for more than a decade before the court delivered its verdict on Monday.
After examining the case, the court acquitted both Balkrishna and Dwivedi.
Following the verdict, Balkrishna expressed confidence in the country’s judicial systemHe also spoke about the impact of the lengthy proceedings, saying the legal battle had been mentally and emotionally exhausting.
Balkrishna said he had faced humiliation, damage to his reputation and what he described as negative treatment from others during the long-running case.
The acquittal brings an end to a legal matter that had remained pending for around 15 years.
(With PTI inputs)
