“It was the first such acquittal since the legislation came into force in 2018,” said Rajesh Kumar, a friend of Pastor Bisht. The complaint also stated that villagers demanding identification discovered Pastor Bisht possessed multiple address documents. “I spent one day at the police station and seven days in the jail before I was granted bail,” Pastor Bisht told Morning Star News. During cross-examination, prosecution witnesses made statements that undermined the case against Pastor Bisht, said his attorney, whose name is withheld for security reasons. Magistrate Anju ordered Pastor Bisht’s complete acquittal from all charges under Sections 3 and 5 of the Uttarakhand Religious Freedom Act, 2018.