Under attack for possessing unaccounted wealth, yoga guru Ramdev is facing multiple investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) department.
Sources associated with the CBI told Business Standard that investigations on the charges of forgery related to the passports of Ramdev and his close associate Acharya Balkrishan, have begun. The CBI, working along with the local intelligence unit of the Uttarakhand police, is also likely to probe into alleged criminal conspiracies against Ramdev. The ED is probing into the source of funds received by Ramdev’s trusts at Haridwar and other assets whose net worth is believed to be around Rs 100 crore. “Most of these funds in these trusts come from foreign countries,” said a police official, who is closely following the developments.
Early this month, Ramdev and his close associate Balkrishan had declared the total capital worth of all his trusts as Rs 426 The total capital of Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust is Rs 164.8 crore and Bharat Swabhiman Trust is Rs 10 crore. However, Ramdev has not disclosed the number of companies which are currently run by the trusts or his associates.
Meanwhile, the IT department is investigating into his tax liabilities. “This is an ongoing process under which we try to find out whether here is any case of tax evasion,” said a top official of the department.
The yoga guru is also facing an all out attack by Congress leaders led by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, who is seeking a detailed probe into various allegations levelled against him in the recent past.