Lucknow: The three-member committee constituted to identify the next chief executive officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is likely to recommend a maximum of three candidates from among the hundreds of applicants, with the final appointment to be made by the Trust’s governing board.The application process for the coveted post remains open until 4 pm on Saturday, after which the committee will begin scrutinising applications. The Trust received more than 1,000 applications within 48 hours of issuing the notification for the CEO’s selection.According to a member of the selection committee, the panel’s role is limited to screening candidates and recommending suitable names. The authority to appoint the CEO rests entirely with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.“The final authority is the Trust. We will only recommend names after evaluating the applications. The Trust will take the final decision,” a committee member told TOI on condition of anonymity.The Trust is currently functioning with 13 members after Krishna Mohan was inducted as interim general secretary following the resignations of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra. It also lost one of its members, Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, a descendant of Ayodhya’s erstwhile royal family, who passed away last year.According to the committee member, the vacancies are expected to be filled at the Trust’s meeting on July 22, restoring its full strength of 15 members before the CEO selection reaches its final stage.Once the screening process is completed, the committee is expected to submit a panel of no more than three candidates to the Trust.“I don’t think we will recommend more than three names,” the committee member said, adding that all Trust members are likely to participate in the final deliberations before selecting one candidate. The decision, he said, is expected to be taken collectively and may be unanimous.While the first stage of the exercise will involve scrutiny of resumes and eligibility criteria, shortlisted candidates may subsequently be called for personal interactions with the committee.“There could be one-on-one interactions with some shortlisted candidates before we finalise our recommendations. Thereafter, the Trust may also hold individual interactions before selecting the CEO,” the committee member said.The committee has been given approximately 30 days from the application deadline to complete the selection process. As part of the evaluation, one of its members may visit Ayodhya to assess first-hand the scale of work and responsibilities associated with the CEO’s role, though no final decision has been taken on such a visit.The selection is being carried out independently by the Trust, which functions under the directions of the Supreme Court and is not controlled by the government. Unlike several shrine boards where serving government officers often occupy top executive posts, the Ram Temple Trust has framed its own eligibility norms for the appointment.The committee has laid down broad criteria for the post, placing particular emphasis on honesty, integrity, administrative competence and the ability to foster a harmonious work environment while commanding the confidence of all stakeholders.It has also clarified that serving government officers in the last two years of service are eligible to apply and, if selected, may opt for premature retirement. Eligible candidates from the private sector may also apply.The selection committee comprises retired Supreme Court judge Justice Pramod Kohli, Lieutenant General (retd) Vishnu Kant Chaturvedi and retired nuclear scientist Suresh Haware, who also served as chairperson of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi.
