Overview
- A three-member search committee led by retired Justice Pramod Kohli submitted three names to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Tuesday after completing its evaluation.
- The Trust will meet on Wednesday to consider the recommendations and is expected to decide whether to announce the first permanent CEO and the Trust secretary plus proposed amendments to the trust deed.
- The committee screened 5,585 applications using a 600-point Google form, received roughly 3,570 responses, held virtual interviews with 108 candidates and conducted in-person interviews with 16 to 17 finalists before shortlisting three.
- The push for a CEO follows an SIT probe that flagged gross lapses in collection management, led to eight arrests of staff handling offerings, and prompted the resignations of senior office-bearers.
- Opposition figures have called for High Court-supervised oversight of the selection while the Trust says the CEO will formalize operational duties, strengthen financial controls, and create bodies such as a security coordination committee.