Acharya Balkrishna, the managing director of Patanjali Ayurved and general secretary of Patanjali Yogpeeth, was acquitted by a special CBI court in Dehradun on Monday in a 15-year-old case involving allegations of using forged documents to obtain an Indian passport.

The court cleared Balkrishna, a close aide of Baba Ramdev, of all charges, bringing an end to the long-running proceedings in the case.

Case Linked To Alleged Forged Educational Certificates

The case stemmed from allegations that forged educational certificates had been submitted as supporting documents while applying for an Indian passport.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the documents were linked to a Sanskrit college in Khurja and were submitted at the passport office in Bareilly.

The CBI subsequently registered a case against Balkrishna under relevant legal provisions and the Passport Act over the alleged use of the documents.

The prosecution had alleged that the educational certificates were used to support his passport application. The special CBI court, however, acquitted Balkrishna of all charges on Monday.

Balkrishna Says Legal Battle Was ‘Mentally Exhausting’

Following the verdict, Balkrishna said he had maintained his faith in the Indian judicial system throughout the case and believed the court’s decision had established the truth.

He said the 15-year legal battle had been “mentally exhausting” and that he had endured what he described as false allegations and several insults during the course of the proceedings.

Balkrishna said the experience had taken a toll on him, but added that he had never lost faith in the judicial system.

With the special CBI court acquitting him of all charges, Balkrishna said the verdict had ultimately vindicated him.

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