There has been a claim circulating on social media that Virat Kohli was offered or paid ₹5 crore to visit the ashram of the spiritual leader Premanand Maharaj in Vrindavan. The rumor comes at a time when the spiritual leader is in the spotlight for the wrong reasons after one of the boys committed suicide, and parents of other children are questioning the absence of their children after receiving blessings from the guru.

Virat Kohli has met Premanand Maharaj several times

According to the letter that was reportedly sent by Falahari Maharaj, president of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas, the government needs to intervene with regard to the issues that arise with Premanand Maharaj’s ashram.

He said that those associated with a private firm in Rajasthan were offering or spending ₹5 crore on Kohli’s visit to the ashram, which they believed was done to boost the spiritual leader’s popularity.

There is no doubt that Kohli met with Premanand Maharaj. Kohli and his wife, actress Anushka Sharma, met with the spiritual leader in Vrindavan for the first time in January 2023. They have recently been recorded by photographs and videos, and have visited him several times to meet him.

They have been well known for years to be linked to the spiritual leader. It is a matter of controversy whether Kohli was recruited with monetary incentives to the ashram.

But there is no document that has come to light that confirms Kohli has been paid ₹5 crore, whether it is a contract, a bank transaction or a payment receipt or any financial document. The statement has been neither confirmed by Kohli nor by his representatives.

So, was Kohli really paid ₹5 crore?

The amount of ₹ 5 crore is unverifiable on the basis of the information available so far. The statement has put a spotlight on the larger controversy surrounding Premanand Maharaj’s ashram after the passing away of one of his disciples Rasik Dulari Sharan, aka Deepak Lodhi.

But the context of that case doesn’t offer evidence to support the other charge against Kohli. For now, it would be inaccurate to report that Virat Kohli “was paid ₹5 crore” as a fact.