Ram temple trust hands religious affairs to saints' panel, delays CEO selection

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday decided to hand over the management of all religious affairs at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya to a newly reconstituted committee of saints, while postponing the selection of its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) by at least another month due to an overwhelming response to the recruitment process. The decisions were taken at the Trust's meeting in Ayodhya, where members also reviewed temple administration, donation management, security arrangements and future governance plans.

The Trust reconstituted its Dharmik Samiti (Religious Committee) under the chairmanship of Swami Govind Dev Giri, entrusting it with the responsibility of ensuring that all rituals, religious ceremonies and traditions at the Ram Temple are conducted in accordance with established customs.

The committee includes Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, Swami Vishwaprasannatirtha Ji Maharaj, Swami Dinendra Das Ji, Swami Kamalnayan Das Ji, Mahant Rajkumar Das Ji, Swami Ramanand Das Ji and Mithilesh Nandini Sharan Ji, among others.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Swami Govind Dev Giri said the temple belongs to Ayodhya and its religious affairs should be guided by the city's saints. "The entire religious work of the temple will be carried out by the Dharmik Samiti. The decisions of Ayodhya's saints will be paramount," he said.

According to the Trust, the committee will oversee the authenticity of temple rituals, decide the dates for annual religious observances, supervise the training of priests and work towards establishing a dedicated institution for training archakas. It will also strengthen coordination with Ayodhya's saints and temples.

CEO APPOINTMENT PUT ON HOLD

The Trust also deferred the appointment of its new CEO after the selection committee sought an additional month to scrutinise applications. Officials said the Trust has received over 5,200 applications for the post, prompting the committee to seek more time before finalising a candidate.

With the CEO appointment delayed, the Trust approved the creation of the post of Secretary to ensure administrative continuity, particularly in view of the expected increase in the number of devotees visiting the temple in the coming years. Krishna Mohan will continue as the interim General Secretary until further decisions are taken.

DONATION PROCESS REVIEWED

The Trust reviewed the system for counting offerings made by devotees but clarified that allegations of irregularities in the process were not discussed, as the final report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has not yet been received.

Officials said CCTV security arrangements at the donation counting centre were reviewed, adding that authorised security personnel already have access to the surveillance system. The Trust also decided to continue the existing mechanism for verifying the quantity and purity of gold and silver offerings.

The meeting also discussed the State Bank of India's responsibilities under its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Trust. Members expressed dissatisfaction with the bank's response regarding certain irregularities and directed the Trust's finance committee to review its engagement with the lender and revisit standard operating procedures.

TRUST TO APPOINT SPOKESPERSON

To improve communication with devotees and the public, the Trust decided to appoint an official spokesperson. It also said the process of filling vacant trustee positions would take a few more weeks.

Responding to recent allegations surrounding the temple's functioning, the Trust asserted that the number of devotees visiting the Ram Temple has remained unaffected. It said the faith of millions of devotees continues to remain strong despite what it described as "baseless, false and misleading allegations."

The next meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is scheduled to be held on September 2.