Claim
The Special Investigation Team questioned Ram Mandir Trust general secretary Champat Rai for nearly three hours, and sources claim some trust members allegedly received up to 40% commissions for handling donations.
“ऑन अ डे, व्हेन द स्पेशल इन्वेस्टिगेशन टीम क्वेश्चन ट्रस्ट जनरल सेक्रेटरी, चंपत राय फॉर नियरली थ्री आवर्स एंड सोर्सेस क्लेम दैट सम ट्रस्ट मेंबर्स आर लेजिडली रिसीव्ड अप टू 40% कमीशंस फॉर हैंडलिंग डोनेशंस”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
The first half of the claim is accurate: on June 30, 2026 investigators questioned Ram Mandir Trust general secretary Champat Rai for about three hours in the donation-theft probe. The second half is unsupported: no reporting as of the broadcast date attributes to sources a claim that trust members received 'up to 40% commissions for handling donations.' Actual commission allegations in the probe involve a former trustee taking unspecified commissions for job appointments, and the only 40% figure in circulation is Kejriwal's later (July 3) political allegation about tenders, not donations. Pairing a real event with an unsubstantiated, misattributed 40% figure makes the overall claim misleading.
Evidence
- https://thefederal.com/category/states/north/uttar-pradesh/ayodhya-temple-row-champat-rai-sit-probe-questioned-congress-leaders-248595 Confirms Champat Rai was questioned for roughly three hours by investigators in the Ram Mandir donation-theft probe around June 30, 2026 ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/top-headlines/ayodhya-police-record-champat-rais-statement Ayodhya police recorded Champat Rai's statement at his residence on June 30, 2026, corroborating the questioning portion of the claim ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2026/07/01/ayodhya-ram-temple-donation-scam-probe-commission-for-jobs.html SIT's commission allegations concern former trustee Anil Mishra taking commissions for facilitating job appointments — not a 40% commission on handling donations ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/theft-began-in-2021-40-commission-taken-on-every-tender-kejriwal-lambasts-bjp-over-ram-temple-row/ The only '40% commission' figure in public reporting is Arvind Kejriwal's political allegation about tenders (not donations), made July 3 — after the broadcast date ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/ram-temple-donation-row-sit-finds-blatant-sop-violations-8-arrested-126062700453_1.html SIT's preliminary findings cited SOP violations in donation counting and eight arrests; no finding of percentage-based commissions to trust members ✗ unreachable · HTTP 403