Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
RBI issues a ₹7 commemorative coin in honour of former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker first looked up the official RBI website, where we did not find any such announcement nor press release about such a commemorative coin or currency note.
We also looked up the RBI’s list of coins in circulation, which did not show any such coin.
Newschecker then ran a reverse image search, which led us to this Instagram post on the purported coin by @thetathyanews, dated November 3, 2024, stating, “The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to issue a new ₹7 coin in honour of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. This special coin recognizes Dhoni’s incredible contributions to Indian cricket, particularly his role as a leader both on and off the field. The ₹7 denomination is a tribute to his iconic jersey number.”
However, the post has a disclaimer, stating, “This is NOT real news.‼️ This post is completely satire. This post is meant for entertainment purposes only.” We saw that “The Tathya” is an Instagram page that only posts satirical stories.
The PIB’s fact-check unit also debunked the viral claim on X on November 14, 2024, stating that the claim made in the image is fake and that the Department of Economic Affairs has made no such announcement.
Result: False
Source
RBI website
Instagram post, @thetathaynews, November 3, 2024
X post, PIB Fact Check, November 14, 2024
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
