Retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra appointed 1st Ram temple Trust CEO

New Delhi: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday appointed Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (retired) as its first chief executive officer.

Mishra played a key role during Operation Sindoor as the Western Air commander and is a recipient of the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, awarded for distinguished service of the most exceptional order during wartime. A native of UP's Deoria district, he retired from the Air Force this year after 39 years of service.

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The trust that met in Ayodhya on Wednesday appointed Swami Govinddev Giri as its general secretary with immediate effect and named Mahesh Bhagchandka its treasurer. Giri replaced Krishna Mohan, who has been functioning as the trust's interim general secretary after Champat Rai resigned on moral grounds following the controversy over alleged theft of donations at the temple.

It also decided to induct three new trustees: Delhi-based businessman and social worker Mahesh Bhagchandka, lawyer Madan Mohan Pandey who fought legal battles for the Ram temple in the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court, and retired college principal Nirmala Yadav.

The trust welcomed the Supreme Court's recent order expanding the scope of the special investigation team probing the theft case. As per the trust, this would help establish the truth and remove "confusion" among devotees and the public.

The trust discussed ways to reduce human intervention in the counting of donation money received at the temple. According to a report, the trust already received proposals from two banks and an IIT for using technology. It is likely to evaluate these proposals.

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The trust decided to appoint a full-time CEO following the controversy over the alleged donation theft and appointed a three-member search committee to come up with a shortlist of candidates.

The committee comprising former Supreme Court judge Pramod Kohli, Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi (retired) and Suresh Haware, who is a former chairperson of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi, examined 5,585 applications and recommended a panel of three candidates.