Ayodhya: Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (Retd), who was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), of the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during Operation Sindoor, has been selected as the first chief executive officer (CEO) of the Ayodhya Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
He was selected from an exhaustive list of over 5,000 applicants. He will have on his hands the onerous task of making the management and financial accountability of the temple robust, which had been hit by a debilitating donation theft controversy earlier this year.
Air Marshal Mishra (Retd) was commissioned into the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in December 1986. He retired on April 30, 2026, after serving for over 38 years. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune, Air Force Test Pilots School, Bengaluru, Air Command and Staff College, USA and the Royal College of Defence Studies, UK.
His appointment is part of the structural changes brought in the Trust following the alleged donation theft in Ayodhya. Three new members have been added to the Trust. They are: Madan Mohan Pandey from Ayodhya, Mahesh Bhagchandka from Delhi and Nirmala Yadav from Shikohabad, as reported by NDTV.
The Trust had received 5,585 applications for the post of CEO. The search panel was headed by former judge Pramod Kohli and included Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi (Retd) and former scientist Suresh Haware.
The applicants were judged in a 600-mark evaluation process. The final interviews of 16 candidates took place in Ayodhya on August 11 and 12.
“Three highly qualified professionals” had been recommended, a Trust official told PTI. They were evaluated on parameters like institutional leadership, management expertise, integrity and vision required to head an institution of national and international significance.
The former IAF officer met all these criteria.
Till now, eight people, mostly linked to the counting of donations, have been arrested for the alleged theft. The Trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai, also resigned in the wake of the controversy.
