Ram Mandir Trust Postpones Crucial Deed Amendments Until High-Level December Meeting

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the Ayodhya Ram Temple, will consider amendments to its governing deed on December 2, marking the first such changes since the trust was formally constituted in February 2020. The move comes as part of a broader administrative restructuring effort focused on strengthening security, logistics, crowd management, and financial oversight, following controversy in recent months over alleged irregularities in the handling of donation collections at the temple.

As part of this restructuring, the trust on Wednesday appointed retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra as its first-ever Chief Executive Officer, a newly created position intended to bring professional governance and operational discipline to the temple's administration. Mishra was selected from a pool of more than 5,500 applicants following a nationwide selection process, ultimately being chosen over two other shortlisted candidates, Major General Sanjay Pratap Singh Vishwasrao and Shruti Bhardwaj.

Mishra brings extensive military leadership experience to the role, having served in the Indian Air Force for more than 38 years after joining as a fighter pilot in December 1986. He has logged over 3,000 flying hours, qualified as a Fighter Combat Leader and experimental test pilot, and studied at several prestigious defense institutions, including the National Defence Academy in Pune and the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. Most notably, Mishra commanded the Indian Air Force's Western Air Command starting in January 2025, leading the command during India's Operation Sindoor, a background that selection committee members cited as central to his appointment. Dr. Suresh Haware, a member of the selection panel and former head of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, said Mishra was chosen because he "will bring in discipline and management, which is required at this time."

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Alongside the CEO appointment, the trust also inducted three new trustees as part of the reshuffle: Mahesh Bhagchandka, who will also serve as the trust's new treasurer, Madan Mohan Pandey, and Dr. Nirmala Yadav. The changes come as the trust prepares to formally define the CEO's powers and responsibilities through the proposed amendments to its deed, part of a wider 12-point agenda expected to be taken up at the December 2 meeting. According to trust officials, the CEO will be expected to oversee statutory, administrative, and financial matters while developing systems and operating procedures suited to the scale of the temple's operations, as well as strengthening internal governance structures and ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Nripendra Mishra, chairman of the Ram Mandir Construction Committee, had previously emphasized the need for a full-time CEO to enhance professionalism and transparency in the temple's administration, a sentiment that appears to have directly informed the creation of the new position. Acknowledging his appointment, Jeetendra Mishra remarked, "I spent 43 years in national service; now I have got the opportunity to serve the devotees of Ram. Before undertaking any work, we should certainly learn from history, but we should also move beyond it," reflecting both his military background and his approach to the new administrative role he is set to assume at one of India's most prominent religious institutions.

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