The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is likely to announce the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday, even as a police probe into allegations of donation theft at the shrine remains underway.
The Trust is scheduled to meet at the residence of its president, Nritya Gopal Das, at Maniramdas Chhawani in Ayodhya in the afternoon. The names of the new general secretary and two other members are also likely to be announced at the meeting.
Earlier, the Trust said in a post on X that the “comprehensive, transparent, and technology-enabled” process for selecting the CEO had been completed. The selection committee submitted a panel of three candidates shortlisted from 5,585 applicants.
“After reviewing 5,585 applications, the selection committee held detailed discussions with 16 candidates. Today, the committee submitted the final panel of three highly qualified candidates to the Trust, which will make the final decision and official announcement,” it said.
Although there has been no official word on the three shortlisted candidates, media reports have identified them as former Uttar Pradesh IPS officer Rajesh Pandey, retired IAS officer Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and former Bihar Director General of Police Paresh Saxena.
Pandey has served as the SSP of Lucknow, Aligarh, Meerut and Saharanpur and was also associated with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Anti-Terrorist Squad. An encounter specialist, he was involved in investigations into several major terror cases, including the Ayodhya terror attack and the 2006 Varanasi serial blasts.
Mishra previously served as the district magistrate of Ayodhya and has extensive experience in the administration of the temple city. Saxena, the third candidate, has considerable experience in handling security and operational challenges.
Justice (retired) Pramod Kohli, who headed the three-member committee tasked with selecting the temple trust’s first CEO, on Tuesday expressed confidence in the shortlisted panel, describing it as the “best” and saying the candidates “have a vision” and “understand issues”.
“We can say with confidence that this selection process was entirely transparent and fair. The Trust will now decide which of these three individuals will serve as the CEO,” he said.
The Trust is also expected to fill three vacant positions created following the death of member Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra and the resignations of former general secretary Champat Rai and member Anil Mishra.
Meanwhile, Jagdish Aafle, an IIT alumnus, has already been appointed as the Trust’s first secretary. An official announcement is expected after Wednesday’s meeting. A Pune resident, Aafle is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and has been overseeing the Ram temple construction project.
