New Delhi: There has been a major reshuffle in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust of Ayodhya. In the third important meeting held after the offering theft controversy, many new faces have been given big responsibilities. Mahant Govind Dev Giri will now be the new General Secretary of the Trust in place of Champat Rai, while Air Marshal retired Jitendra Mishra has been made the first CEO of the Trust.
Trust gets first CEO
Trust's interim general secretary Krishna Mohan informed about the decisions of the meeting. He said that a total of 5,585 applications were received for the post of CEO. The search committee headed by Justice Pramod Kohli, including Lieutenant General VK Chaturvedi and former scientist Suresh Haware, had shortlisted three names.
On Tuesday, the committee had submitted its final report to the then treasurer Govind Dev Giri. According to committee secretary Sameer Panda, after assessment on parameters like leadership ability, management expertise and honesty, three qualified professionals were recommended, out of which Jitendra Mishra was selected.
According to sources, Mishra had received the Best Yudh Seva Medal for his role in Operation Sindoor. Mishra, a fighter pilot who joined the Air Force on December 6, 1986, has served for more than 39 years before his retirement on April 30, 2026.
Govind Dev Giri becomes general secretary, Bhagchandka becomes treasurer
Krishna Mohan told that on July 6, he was made the interim general secretary. Now Mahant Govind Dev Giri, who was the treasurer of the trust, has been appointed as the regular general secretary.
Now new trustee Mahesh Bhagchandka will take over the responsibility of treasurer. Newly appointed General Secretary Giri said that Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) will soon be prepared for the functioning of the CEO, which will have complete details of his duties.
Three new trustees and account of Rs 1882 crore
Three new trustees were also included in the meeting. Madan Mohan Pandey of Ayodhya, Mahesh Bhagchandka of Delhi and Dr Nirmala Yadav of Shikohabad have been made new trustees in the trust.
Internal audit accounts were also presented in the meeting. In the financial year 2025-26, the Trust earned an income of Rs 237 crore and incurred an expenditure of Rs 91 crore. Capital expenditure of Rs 425 crore has been incurred on construction works.
The total available funds with the Trust as on 31 March 2026 was Rs 1882 crore, which has been approved by the Board of Trustees. This meeting was the third meeting after the controversy over the alleged theft of offerings in the Ram temple, in which emphasis was laid on making the organization more transparent and professional.