Ram temple trust gets 5,200 applications for CEO’s job, defers selection by a month
The Trust decided to appoint an interim secretary to meet growing administrative requirements and a spokesperson to communicate with the public and the media.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday deferred the selection of its first chief executive officer (CEO) by a month as the screening committee needs more time to vet suitable applicants from the 5,200 applications received for the post. The Trust also decided to appoint an interim secretary to meet growing administrative requirements and an official spokesperson to communicate with the public and the media.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das with members during a special meeting in Ayodhya on Wednesday. (PTI PHOTO)
The decisions were taken at a meeting of the board of trustees held in Ayodhya where members also reviewed arrangements for the expected rise in the number of devotees visiing the Ram temple during the Shravan month and several administrative and financial issues.
The meeting, however, saw no decision on filling the three vacant posts in the Trust. The next meeting on this and other pending issues will take place on September 2, Trust officials said.
“The Trust could not finalise its first chief executive officer as the three-member selection committee told trustees it needs more time to sift through an overwhelming 5,200 applications,” Govind Dev Giri, treasurer of the Trust, said after the meeting.
“The volume is huge. We need one additional month for proper scrutiny and to shortlist three suitable names,” Giri added.
Acknowledging the seriousness of the matter and the need for due diligence, the board of trustees accepted the request. This was the Trust’s second key meeting in Ayodhya following the alleged donation theft controversy, which surfaced in June. The previous meeting was held on July 6.
The board noted that the delay in CEO selection should not affect day-to-day operations, said Krishna Mohan, interim general secretary of the Trust.
Pawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories.
He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map.
Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts.
Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments.
He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP.
Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today.
He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him.
He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust.
He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commissionRead More