Retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra was selected from a final shortlist of three candidates prepared by a high-powered search committee from 5,585 applications.
Operation Sindoor veteran Jeetendra Mishra is Ram Temple Trust's first CEO
The new CEO will oversee the temple’s statutory, administrative and financial responsibilities
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has appointed retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ayodhya Ram temple.
Mishra was selected from a final shortlist of three candidates prepared by a high-powered search committee from 5,585 applications, according to media reports. The former officer held several key command positions in the Indian Air Force and served as the chief of its Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor.
The Selection committee consisted of retired Justice Pramod Kohli, retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi, and expert member Suresh Hawde
CEO post
The creation of the CEO post is part of a broader administrative overhaul aimed at strengthening financial oversight, improving institutional accountability and streamlining the temple’s day-to-day functioning.
The Trust decided to create the post following a major restructuring after the resignations of former general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra. The move came amid controversies surrounding the temple administration and allegations of financial irregularities.
Roles and responsibilities
The new CEO will oversee the temple’s statutory, administrative and financial responsibilities. His duties will include managing day-to-day operations, devotee amenities, security coordination and financial transparency. However, religious rituals will remain outside his purview and will continue to be overseen by the temple saints.
The response to the CEO post was described by sources associated with the selection process as “overwhelming”. Applications were reportedly received from several retired IAS and IPS officers, senior bureaucrats and professionals.
Other appointments
Alongside the CEO appointment, the Trust also inducted three new trustees to fill vacant positions. The new trustees are Delhi-based businessman Mahesh Bhagchandka, Ayodhya-based former Additional Advocate General Madan Mohan Pandey and Nirmala Yadav from Shikohabad.
Jagdish Aafle will be the first secretary of the temple trust.
Aafle, who is from Maharashtra, is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and is the Ram temple construction project manager.
Selection process
Eligibility criteria were decided for the CEO position, and applications were invited from individuals meeting the eligibility requirements, with July 18 as the deadline. Between July 11-18, 5,585 applications were received, Justice Kohli said.
Referring to the work undertaken by the selection team, he said scrutinising those applications was a massive task. "So, we held a meeting on July 19 and decided to create a Google Form featuring different categories and assigning marks based on eligibility criteria.
A Google Form consisting of 600 marks was created and sent to 3,577 persons. On further categorisation, 108 individuals fell into that specific category -- those who had scored 470 marks or higher. We conducted virtual interactions via video conferencing with these 108 individuals -- a process that spanned about four days," he said.
From that group, 17 people were shortlisted and categorised into Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C based on their performance and their approach.