NEW DELHI: Air Marshal (Retired) Jeetendra Mishra has been selected as the first chief executive officer of the Ram Temple Trust from an exhaustive list of over 5,000 applicants. His appointment was announced by the temple trust on September 2.
The former officer held several commanding positions in the Indian Air Force and was the chief of its Western Command during Operation Sindoor. He will have on his hands the onerous task of making the management and financial accountability of the temple robust, which had been hit by a debilitating donation theft controversy earlier this year.
Air Marshal (Retired) Mishra was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in December 1986. He retired in May 2026 after serving for over 38 years. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune, Air Force Test Pilots School, Bangalore, Air Command and Staff College, USA and the Royal College of Defence Studies, UK.
Air Marshal (Retired) Mishra’s appointment is part of the structural changes brought in the Ram Temple Trust following the donation theft in Ayodhya. Three new members have been added to the trust. They are: Madan Mohan Pandey from Ayodhya, Mahesh Bhagchandka from Delhi and Nirmala Yadav from Shikohabad.
Eight people, mostly linked to the counting of donations, have been arrested. The trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai, also resigned in the wake of the row.
The trust had received 5,585 applications for the post.
The search panel was headed by retired judge Pramod Kohli and included retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and former scientist Suresh Haware.
The applicants were judged in a 600-mark evaluation process. The final interviews of 16 candidates took place in Ayodhya on August 11 and 12.
A trust official said “three highly qualified professionals” had been recommended. They were evaluated on parameters like institutional leadership, management expertise, integrity and vision required to head an institution of national and international significance.
The appointment of a professional CEO is one of the ways in which the temple trust hopes to regain the confidence of people. Nripendra Mishra, chairman of the Ram Mandir Construction Committee, had earlier stressed that a full-time CEO was critical to bring professional administration and transparency to the world’s most watched temple project.
The decision was taken at a meeting that was attended by Trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Swami Kamalnayan Das, interim general secretary Dr Krishna Mohan, trustee Mahant Dinendra Das and treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri among others.
According to the Trust, the CEO will have the responsibility to develop systems, procedures, and operational practices appropriate to the nature and scale of the organization, build and strengthen the organisational structure in accordance with the objectives, nature, and size of the institution.
The former IAF officer met all these criteria.
Among other responsibilities, the CEO will serve as the highest executive authority responsible for the officers, functionaries, employees, and staff of the organization.
The CEO will ensure efficient management of the trust’s current activities and future development and ensure compliance with all statutory, regulatory, and Trust Deed requirements.
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