Ram Temple Trust clarifies: ‘Selection of CEO through transparent process’
Ayodhya: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, which is involved in the management of the Ram Mandir complex here, issued a statement on Monday clarifying the process and timeline of its selection of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which has recently come under certain media scrutiny.
Claims suggesting that Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra (Retd) did not participate in the interview rounds are factually incorrect, said the statement bearing the name of Swami Govinddev Giri, General Secretary of the Trust.
His inclusion among the top three recommended candidates constitutes documentary proof of his participation, evaluation, and merit-based selection, it clarified.
Incidentally, Air Marshal Mishra (Retd) was appointed as the first CEO after he emerged as the top choice for the Search Committee set up for this purpose.
The Committee was constituted on July 6 this year and oversaw “a transparent, technology-enabled selection process”, using both artificial intelligence-assisted screening and manual expertise for the 5,585 applications it received and conducted “a multi-tiered evaluation across three cities”, that is Delhi NCR, Pune, and Sambalpur, the statement added.
It then shortlisted 16 candidates who subsequently participated in face-to-face interactions at Ayodhya on August 11 and 12, where Air Marshal Mishra participated in the first-half on the first day.
The Search Committee submitted its final report, recommending Air Marshal Mishra, Sanjay Pratapsinh Vishwas Rao, and Shruti Bharadwaj. “These names were formally announced in media interactions, confirming the completion of the evaluation process and the selection of the Chief Executive Officer,” it further stated.
The Trust statement also stressed that the selection process was conducted in accordance “with the highest standards of institutional governance and transparency. Every stage was documented, and the identity of all finalists was recorded at Ayodhya”.
It further pledged to remain “committed to transparency and will continue to provide factual information to address any further inquiries regarding the selection process”.