NEW DELHI: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshtera has refuted claims that retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra did not participate in the interview rounds of the selection process for the chief executive officer of Ram temple in Ayodhya.In a statement, trust’s general secretary Swami Govind Dev Giri said that the search committee for the CEO conducted a multi-tier evaluation process involving AI-based screening and manual assessment across three cities, Delhi NCR, Pune and Sambalpur.“The selection process was conducted in accordance with the highest standards of institutional governance and transparency. Every stage was documented, and the identities of all finalists were recorded in Ayodhya,” the statement read.“The claim that Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra did not participate in the interview rounds on 11-12 August 2026 is factually incorrect,” it added.The trust said that the search committee for the CEO selection process was constituted on July 6, 2026, and received 5,585 applications.“16 candidates were selected as finalists, who participated in face-to-face interviews in Ayodhya on August 11 and 12, 2026,” it said.Further, the trust said that Mishra participated in the interview process on August 11 during the first session.The search committee submitted its final report and recommendations to the Trust on September 1, following which the trust publicly presented the names of the three top recommended candidates on September 2. The three candidates included Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, Sanjay Pratapsinh Vishwas Rao and Ms Shruti Bharadwaj.The Trust further stated that Mishra’s inclusion among the top three recommended candidates was “documentary proof of his participation, evaluation and merit-based selection.”Earlier on September 2, Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (retd), who headed the Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor, was appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
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The retired Air Marshal Mishra said he considered the opportunity a blessing of Lord Ram and pledged to serve the temple and devotees with the experience gained during his decades-long service in the Indian Air Force.“I consider this a great fortune that they chose me from so many candidates. I also consider this the blessings of Lord Ram that after 43 years of service to the nation in the Air Force, He has allowed me to serve Sri Ram Mandir and Sri Ram bhakts,” he told ANI.“As I said, I would like to thank the selection committee, Sri Ram Mandir Trust and Lord Ram for having chosen me for this responsibility. I pray to God to grant me the capability so that I can shoulder it well,” he added.
