Overview
- The three-member external search committee led by retired Justice Pramod Kohli submitted a sealed shortlist of three candidates to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Tuesday, Sept 1.
- The panel ran a large, multi-stage process that drew 5,585 applications, used a 600-point questionnaire to screen candidates, held virtual interviews with 108 people and conducted in-person interviews with 16 before recommending three names.
- The Trust will meet in two sittings on Wednesday, Sept 2 to consider the shortlist and to decide on other items including a first-ever amendment to the trust deed, audited 2025–26 accounts, and several senior appointments.
- The CEO search responds to an SIT probe that flagged serious lapses in donation handling, led to eight arrests and the resignations of senior Trust officials, and the Trust says the CEO will carry statutory, administrative and financial duties and report to the general secretary.
- Opposition calls for court-supervised oversight have increased political pressure on the Trust, and the chosen CEO could affect donor confidence, internal controls and how future investigations and governance reforms are carried out.