18 Shortlisted for Ram Temple CEO Post After 5,300+ Applications

Eighteen candidates have been shortlisted for interviews for the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, temple sources said on Monday.

More than 5,300 candidates had applied for the post, following which a screening committee shortlisted 18 candidates for the next stage. Candidates with administrative experience are likely to be given preference, according to sources.

The shortlisted candidates will appear for interviews at the temple premises on Tuesday and Wednesday. The selection panel comprises former Justice Pramod Kohli, Lieutenant General (Retd) Vishnukant Chaturvedi and scientist Suresh Haware, former chairman of the Shirdi Sai Baba Trust.

The CEO will be responsible for overseeing the administration and management of the Ram temple's affairs and businesses.

Sources said the selected candidate must be a practising Hindu and strictly follow Hindu traditions and guidelines. The candidate must also be a pure vegetarian and a strict teetotaller. The age criterion for the position has been fixed between 50 and 70 years.

The decision to appoint a CEO came after allegations of embezzlement of Ram temple donations surfaced in June. The Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 to probe the allegations.

Following the submission of the preliminary SIT report on June 23, an FIR was registered on June 25 and eight accused were arrested. Police also recovered cash, gold, silver and foreign currency during the investigation, with the highest cash recovery of Rs 20.39 lakh reportedly made from one of the accused.

The appointment of a dedicated CEO is expected to strengthen the administrative oversight of the temple trust and its expanding operations.