Ram temple trust meet today; key vacancies, CEO appointment to be discussed

Amid the storm stirred up by the ongoing donation theft controversy, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to hold two key meetings in Ayodhya on Wednesday (July 22).

The meetings will be held to appoint a new general secretary, fill three vacant trustee posts and deliberate on the appointment of the temple's first chief executive officer (CEO).

Special meeting

According to Trust sources, a special meeting will be held at 3 pm in the Ram temple complex, followed by the regular meeting at 4 pm at Maniram Chhawani, the residence of Trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.

The special meeting is expected to deliberate on the appointment of a new general secretary following the resignation of Champat Rai, besides filling three vacancies in the Trust. The posts fell vacant after the resignations of Rai and trustee Anil Mishra in the wake of the donation theft case and the death of trustee Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra.

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Sources said the meeting is also likely to discuss the administrative framework for the newly-created CEO post, including the officer's responsibilities and the future selection process.

Second session

The second session is expected to focus on financial transparency, including arrangements for counting offerings, handling donations and strengthening oversight of the Trust's financial dealings.

Security arrangements, the issuance of VIP, Sugam and Aarti passes and other administrative matters are also likely to come up for discussion.

Most trustees had reached Ayodhya by Tuesday, while some members are expected to participate virtually from Delhi and Lucknow, sources said.

Selecting a new CEO

The Trust had invited applications for the CEO post till July 18. While some media reports estimated that between 2,500 and 5,500 applicants have been received, no official figure has been released.

However, sources associated with the selection process said the response was "overwhelming", with applications reportedly received from several retired IAS and IPS officers, senior bureaucrats and professionals. There is speculation that the Trust may allow additional time to the three-member expert committee to scrutinise the large number of applications before preparing a shortlist.

The expert panel, comprising retired Justice Pramod Kohli, retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and former NIT Raipur chairperson Suresh Haware, has been tasked with evaluating the applications and recommending suitable candidates. The final appointment will be made by the Trust.

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The CEO post was created as part of a broader administrative overhaul to strengthen financial oversight, improve institutional accountability and streamline the temple's day-to-day functioning.

Ram Temple Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Mishra had earlier said the CEO's primary responsibility would be to uphold devotees' faith in the Trust while overseeing financial arrangements and pilgrim facilities, adding there would be no government interference in the Trust's functioning.

Trust sources said the Wednesday meetings would also formally confirm the proceedings of the July 6 meeting, during which a committee was constituted to recommend amendments to the trust deed and frame guidelines for the custody, valuation and disposal of devotees' offerings.

Mahant rebuts reports

In another development, Mahant Dinendra Das had on Tuesday dismissed reports claiming that he had been removed from his position in the Nirmohi Akhara, describing them as "baseless and misleading".

Addressing a press conference in Ayodhya, he had claimed that 13 of the Akhara's 19 panchs supported him and alleged that a few members were conspiring against him. He also said Wednesday's meeting would discuss filling the three vacant trustee posts, besides reviewing the counting of currency notes offered at the temple and its security arrangements.

Status of alleged embezzlement case

Wednesday's meeting comes amid the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple.

The Uttar Pradesh government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 to examine the allegations.

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After the preliminary SIT report was submitted on June 23, an FIR was registered on June 25 and eight accused -- Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav -- were arrested.

Police have recovered cash from multiple accused, including Rs 20.39 lakh from Avinash Shukla, besides gold, silver, foreign currency and a donation box labelled "Ramrajya Kosh".

The SIT's final report has since been submitted before the Supreme Court, and Trust sources said it may also come up for discussion during Wednesday's meeting.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to inform it whether the same SIT, comprising two senior IAS officers and a senior IPS officer, could be entrusted with the main investigation instead of the local police to ensure fairness and transparency.

The apex court also cautioned litigants against politicising the issue.

(With agency inputs)