LUCKNOW: A high-powered panel, on Tuesday, commenced the interviews of 18 candidates for appointment to the first full-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The Trust had decided to appoint a full-time CEO at its July 6 board meeting following the alleged Ram temple donation embezzlement episode.
According to a senior functionary of the Trust, in all, eight candidates, including three former IAS officers, one IPS officer, and four ex-Army officials, were interviewed on Tuesday.
The sources claimed that prominent among those who appeared in the interview on day one included former UP cadre IPS officer Rajesh Pandey. He is also famous as the encounter specialist of UP police.
Besides, former Jaunpur DM Dinesh Chandra also appeared in the interview on Tuesday. Notably, all 18 candidates to be interviewed for the post, shortlisted from 5,200 applicants, reached Ayodhya late on Monday night and stayed at various locations in the temple town as suggested by the Trust.
The interview is being carried out in the conference room of the Ram temple's pilgrim facilitation centre in Ayodhya.
The candidates reached the Ram temple complex at around 9 am, and the interview process started at 10 am, said the sources.
"Each candidate had forwarded his arrival schedule at the Ayodhya airport. They were picked up by people appointed by the Trust. From the airport, they were taken to the different locations in separate vehicles," sources said.
"The candidates have been instructed not to interact with the media. After the interview is over, all of them will be taken back to the Ayodhya airport to board a flight to New Delhi. From Delhi, they will board flights to their respective destinations," they added.
The 18 candidates include former bureaucrats and former senior position holders of temples in South India, according to sources.
The three-member selection committee comprises retired Supreme Court judge Justice Pramod Kohli, Lt Gen (Retd) Vishnukant Chaturvedi, and Suresh Haware, former nuclear scientist and ex-chairman of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi.
The panel of interviewers landed in Ayodhya on Monday night for the screening. From the 18 applicants, the panel will zero in on three names for the Trust to make the final call.
The Trust is scheduled to announce the appointment of the new CEO on September 2. As per the sources, each candidate was interviewed for 15-20 minutes on day one.
The questions that the candidates faced mainly pertained to their administrative experiences, postings, working in the religious field, faith in Lord Ram, and their family details.
