LUCKNOW: While deferring the much-talked-about appointment of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) by almost a month, the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Nyas (temple trust) reconstituted its nine-member religious committee, giving Ayodhya's saints a central role in supervising all religious affairs of the Ram temple.
Meanwhile, at its crucial board meeting in Ayodhya on Wednesday afternoon, the trust postponed a decision on filling its three vacant trustee positions until its next meeting, scheduled for September 2.
The most significant decision of the meeting, however, was the reconstitution of the trust's nine-member religious committee, which will now oversee all matters related to worship, rituals, festivals, priest training and coordination with Ayodhya's religious institutions. The committee, under the chairmanship of trust treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri, comprises five saints from Ayodhya and four trust representatives.
Announcing the new structure, Swami Govind Dev Giri said the temple's religious administration was being entrusted primarily to Ayodhya's saints.
"Today we are handing over the responsibility for all religious affairs of the temple to the saints of Ayodhya. This temple must continue to function according to the traditional Vedic Ramanandi system of worship," he said.
The members from Ayodhya on the committee include Mahant Kamal Nayan Das of Maniram Das Chhawani, Swami Ramanand Das of Ram Katha Kunj, Swami Rajkumar Das of Ramvallabh Kunj, Swami Mithilesh Nandini Sharan of Hanumat Niwas Mandir and Mahant Dinendra Das of the Nirmohi Akhara.
The remaining members are Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, Yug Purush Swami Parmanand, Pejawar Math seer Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swami and Swami Govind Dev Giri, who will chair the committee in accordance with the trust deed.
The five major responsibilities assigned to the committee include ensuring that daily worship follows the Vedic Ramanandi tradition, determining and organising annual festivals whenever calendar disputes arise, supervising special Vedic rituals and yajnas, overseeing priest training and discipline, and maintaining regular dialogue with Ayodhya's monasteries, temples, saints and gurukuls.
Govind Dev Giri also announced plans to revive and institutionalise priest training through a permanent training school in Ayodhya. The committee will also monitor whether temple priests adhere to prescribed rituals, dress code and standards of conduct.
No decision on the appointment of the CEO could be taken as the three-member selection committee, comprising Justice (Retired) Pramod Kohli, Lieutenant General (Retired) Vishnukant Chaturvedi and Suresh Haware (former nuclear scientist and former chairman of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust), sought additional time to scrutinise nearly 5,500 applications received for the post.
According to a trust official, the CEO selection panel had initially expected around 400 to 500 applications but eventually received an overwhelming 5,500 applications from across the country, making the evaluation process time-consuming.
"How can a three-member committee fairly evaluate 5,500 applications in such a short period? We have to ensure that no deserving candidate is overlooked. Therefore, the committee sought one month's additional time, and the Trust has accepted the request," Trust treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri told the media after the meeting.
The selection committee will continue scrutinising the applications before preparing a shortlist for interviews.
The CEO's appointment became imperative after the resignation of former general secretary Champat Rai and the trust's decision to strengthen administrative supervision of the day-to-day affairs of the temple.
Acknowledging that the CEO appointment process would take longer than expected, the temple trust approved the appointment of a secretary to assist with day-to-day administrative work until a full-time CEO is selected.
At the same meeting, the trust also decided to appoint an official spokesperson to streamline communication with the media and counter misinformation.
"There is a need for continuous communication with society through the media. Therefore, the Trust has decided to appoint a spokesperson," interim general secretary Krishna Mohan said while briefing the media after the meeting.
On the name of the person to be appointed spokesperson, Krishna Mohan clarified that only the decision to create the position had been taken at the meeting.
Swami Govind Dev Giri also said the trust continued to enjoy unwavering public faith despite recent controversies surrounding alleged irregularities in donation counting.
The trust also reviewed the status of the donation counting system and discussed the lapses attributed to the State Bank of India under the existing memorandum of understanding for handling donation counting operations.
Officials said the trust's finance committee had been entrusted with reviewing the bank's responsibilities under the agreement and recommending future action.
The meeting also took note of the ongoing SIT probe into alleged irregularities in donation counting. Trust members also reviewed recent Supreme Court proceedings related to the case and examined security arrangements, expressing satisfaction that access to CCTV cameras, including those inside the donation counting room, had already been provided to all authorised security agencies.
Meanwhile, on the issue of filling the three vacant posts in the trust, interim general secretary Krishna Mohan said efforts were underway but additional consultations were required before a decision could be taken.
"The Trust has taken note of the ongoing efforts to fill the vacant positions. It has been found that this important exercise will require a few more weeks," he said.
On the possible names, Krishna Mohan said no decision had been taken.
"No names were discussed here. The matter is under consideration. The Trust will collectively decide who will become trustees, and once a decision is taken it will be placed before everyone," he said.
The three vacancies arose following the death of trustee Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra and the resignations of former general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra.
