Ram Temple Trust begins interviews for selection of full-time CEO

A high-powered panel on Tuesday, Aug 11 began interviewing 18 candidates for appointment as the first full-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

The Trust had decided to appoint a full-time CEO after alleged Ram temple donation embezzlement came to light.

According to a senior functionary of the Trust, all 18 candidates, shortlisted from 5,200 applicants, reached Ayodhya late on Monday night and stayed at various locations in the temple town as suggested by the Trust.

The interviews are being held in the conference room of the Ram temple's pilgrim facilitation centre in Ayodhya. If not completed on Tuesday, the process may continue on Wednesday, sources in the Trust said.

The candidates reached the Ram temple complex around 9 am, and the interview process began at 10 am, they said.

"Each candidate had forwarded his arrival schedule at the Ayodhya airport. They were picked up by people appointed by the Trust. From the airport, they were taken to different locations in separate vehicles," sources said. "The candidates have been instructed not to interact with the media. After the interview is over, all of them will be taken back to the Ayodhya airport to board a flight to New Delhi. From Delhi, they will board flights to their respective destinations," they added.

The 18 candidates include former bureaucrats and former senior office-holders of temples in South India, according to sources.

The three-member selection committee landed in Ayodhya on Monday night for the screening. From the 18 candidates, it will shortlist three names for the Trust to make the final call.

The panel comprises retired Supreme Court judge Justice Pramod Kohli, Lt Gen (Retd) Vishnukant Chaturvedi, and Suresh Haware.