3 min readSuratApr 19, 2026 08:53 AM ISTThe district court convicted and sentenced Devnarayan 16 years and 10 months after his arrest. (File Photo)Sixteen years after he was caught practicing as a homeopathic doctor with a counterfeit degree, a Surat man was convicted for fraud and sentenced to three years of imprisonment by a local court on Friday, officials said.Devnarayan Suyabali Patel, who lives in Dindoli area of Surat but is originally from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on May 11, 2009, and certificates recovered from him were later found to be fake.During an investigation, Limbayat police found out that his Bachelor of Homeopathy Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) certificate, marksheet, and other documents that he purportedly got from BR Ambedkar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, were fake. A complaint against him was filed by one Dr. Rasesh Gujarati.Devnarayan, then 38, was booked under IPC sections 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using a forged document or electronic document as a genuine one), and sent to the city sub-jail. After the chargesheet in the case was submitted to the Surat district court on September 25, 2009, Devnarayan was released on bail.The district court convicted and sentenced Devnarayan 16 years and 10 months after his arrest.Additional public prosecutor P D Damor and A T Parmar pressed charges on the accused, who was defended by G M Lakhera in the Court of 13th additional senior civil judge Jitendra Singh.While passing the verdict, the court observed that, “As per the provisions of the Indian Evidence Act, the burden of proving the case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt is on the prosecution and in this case the allegations made by the prosecution have been proved beyond a reasonable doubt…”Story continues below this adThe court further observed: “The incidents of quacks practicing in society are increasing day by day, and the state government also frequently seeks to stop such people and takes action against them, but due to lack of evidence, most of them escape the provisions of the law and penalties. Since the evidence received shows that the accused has registered himself as a medical practitioner without any qualification and the fact has been proven, it does not seem appropriate to give him the benefit of probation, considering his actions.”Talking to the Indian Express, assistant public prosecutor A T Parmar said, “We are satisfied with the order passed by the court.”The defence lawyer said they would study the order and then decide their future step. © The Indian Express Pvt LtdAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...