Ram temple trust to pick CEO, discuss deed amendment amid donation theft row

The trust managing Ayodhya's Ram temple will meet on Wednesday to discuss the appointment of a CEO and the amendment of its deed, amid allegations of donation irregularities. The first sitting of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust will be held from 2pm to 3pm, followed by a second session from 4pm to 6pm, with a 12-point agenda. This will be the third gathering since the donation theft controversy emerged.

The process for selecting the CEO began on July 6, after a committee screened 5,585 applications and reduced the list to 111 candidates. Sixteen candidates were invited to Ayodhya for face-to-face interviews. Justice (retd) Pramod Kohli, along with Lt Gen (Retd) V K Chaturvedi and scientist-industrialist Suresh Haware, arrived in Ayodhya late on Monday. They presented the trust chairman, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das Maharaj, with a sealed letter containing three shortlisted names.

Nripendra Mishra, chairman of the Ram Mandir Construction Committee, emphasized the importance of a full-time CEO for professional administration and transparency. The trust has stated that the CEO's powers will be defined without government interference, and they will report to the general secretary. The CEO is expected to formulate long-term plans, manage statutory, administrative, and financial responsibilities, and develop systems and procedures for the organization.

The trust's deed will be amended for the first time since its creation in February 2020. This amendment follows deliberations on the CEO's appointment and other issues. The trust will also create a permanent security coordination committee and review a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into donation theft. The SIT's final report had criticized the trust for "gross lapses" in its functioning but exonerated former general secretary Champat Rai and a former trustee.