AYODHYA: The selection panel constituted to find the first chief executive officer (CEO) of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is likely to forward three shortlisted candidates to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday, sources said.
The Trust’s Board of Trustees is expected to take a decision on the appointment at a meeting scheduled to be held at the residence of its president, Nritya Gopal Das, at Maniramdas Chhawani.
Members of the three-member selection panel — retired Justice Pramod Kohli, retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and expert member Suresh Hawde — have reached Ayodhya for the meeting.
The Trust is also expected to consider filling three vacant positions, including two members and the post of general secretary. These vacancies arose following the death of Trust member Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra and subsequent developments involving allegations of theft of offerings and the resignation of former general secretary Champat Rai and Anil Mishra.
An official announcement on the appointment of the Trust’s secretary is also expected at the meeting, which is likely to begin at 2 pm on Wednesday. Jagdish Ofale is set to become the first secretary of the temple Trust, according to sources.
VHP international general secretary Bajrang Lal Bangda may also be inducted into the Trust, they said.
Asked whether the first CEO would be appointed on Wednesday, Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri said the final decision rested with the Board of Trustees.
“That is up to the trust to decide. I expect it to happen, but the Board of Trustees will decide whether to do it or not,” Giri said.
He thanked the members of the selection panel for assisting the Trust in the recruitment process, saying the panel was tasked with identifying a suitable candidate to manage the operations of the high-profile temple.
“We sought this guidance because we were in search of an excellent CEO to ensure the superior management of such a big, world-renowned temple. We turned to Justice (Pramod) Kohli, retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and Suresh Hawde. Working tirelessly and conducting interviews from morning till evening, they went through approximately 5,500 applications. First, they shortlisted 3,000; then 1,500 and finally, a group of 300 candidates emerged,” Giri said.
The panel subsequently held face-to-face interviews with 16 candidates as part of the final selection process.
The decision to create the CEO’s post was taken by the Trust on July 6 to strengthen the day-to-day management of the Ram temple. The move came after the Trust acknowledged that allegations concerning theft of donations had affected the temple’s image and stressed the need to restore devotees’ confidence.
The Trust had appointed a three-member search panel comprising retired Justice Pramod Kohli, retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and Suresh Haware, former chairman of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, to identify the first CEO.