Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust appoints first CEO, new officers and trustees

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust appointed Jeetendra Mishra as its first chief executive officer. Govind Dev Giri and Mahesh Bhagchandka also took charge as general secretary and treasurer respectively. New trustees were inducted into the Trust during a meeting held in Ayodhya. The Trust aims to formalize its administrative structure and strengthen oversight of temple operations.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday appointed retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra as its first chief executive officer (CEO), former treasurer Govind Dev Giri as its new general secretary and Mahesh Bhagchandka as treasurer at a meeting held in Ayodhya.

Mishra, who headed the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor, was selected from a shortlist of three candidates after the Trust’s selection committee scrutinised 5,585 applications. The other shortlisted candidates were Major General Sanjay Pratap Singh Bisht and Shruti Hardwari.

Mishra, who hails from Deoria district, served in the Indian Air Force and received several military decorations, including the Yudh Seva Medal.

The appointments come as the Trust moves to formalise its administrative structure and strengthen its oversight of the Ram temple’s expanding operations, including financial and administrative management.

The creation of a full-time CEO post is aimed at giving the Trust a dedicated executive function, with the board also considering a standard operating procedure to clearly define the CEO’s duties and responsibilities.

The Trust also inducted Madan Mohan Pandey of Ayodhya, Bhagchandka of Delhi and Dr Nirmala Yadav of Shikohabad as new trustees. The meeting was held in two sessions, with the newly inducted trustees joining the second session online, interim secretary Krishna Mohan said.

Pandey is an advocate who represented Ram Lalla Virajman in the Ram Janmabhoomi case, while Yadav is a retired college principal and academician.

Giri said Krishna Mohan had played a crucial role in steering the Trust through "troubled times".

He said the Trust may appoint a joint CEO or deputy CEO if required and would prepare a standard operating procedure specifying the CEO’s duties and responsibilities.

"We have to make Ayodhya the world's cultural capital. We will not leave any stone unturned for this," Giri said.

The CEO post was created as the Trust seeks to formalise its administrative structure and strengthen oversight of the temple’s expanding operations.

The Trust had set up a three-member search committee headed by retired Justice Pramod Kohli, with retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and former scientist Suresh Haware as members.

The selection process used a 600-mark evaluation framework, with 3,577 of the 5,585 applicants taking part in the initial assessment. Those scoring 470 marks or above were shortlisted, leading to virtual interactions with 108 applicants. The final round saw 16 candidates interviewed in Ayodhya on August 11 and 12.