Questions were raised over the selection of Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra (Retd.) as the first CEO of the Ram Mandir Trust.
The controversy began after former IPS officer Rajesh Pandey reportedly claimed that Mishra was not among the 16 candidates who appeared for the final selection process and that he did not participate in the interview.
Former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur subsequently sought an explanation from the Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, asking how Mishra could have been selected if he had not appeared in the final interview. He also sought details about the basis on which Mishra was shortlisted and selected.
So, the main question being raised was simple: Did Jitendra Mishra actually appear for the Ram Mandir CEO interview or not?
What is the reality?
The Ram Mandir Trust has rejected the claim.
In a clarification issued on September 14, the trust said that the claim that Mishra did not participate in the interview rounds was factually incorrect.
The trust gave a detailed timeline of the selection process and specifically said that Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra participated in the interview process on August 11, 2026, in the first half of the day.
This directly contradicts the claim that he did not appear for the interview.
श्री राम जन्मभूमि तीर्थ क्षेत्र, न्यास के मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी के चयन के संबंध में तथ्यों को स्पष्ट करना चाहता है, ताकि कुछ मीडिया के माध्यम से प्रसारित होने वाली गलत जानकारी को संबोधित किया जा सके।
प्रलेखित तथ्य
1. 6 जुलाई 2026 को खोज समिति का गठन किया गया।
2. खोज समिति को… pic.twitter.com/dLJJrmhQpQ
— Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) September 14, 2026
How was the Ram Mandir CEO selected?
According to the trust’s clarification, the selection process began with the constitution of a Search Committee on July 6, 2026.
The committee received 5,585 applications for the CEO position.
These applications went through a multi-level screening process. The trust said that AI-assisted screening as well as manual evaluation were used. The process was carried out across Delhi NCR, Pune and Sambalpur.
After the evaluation, 16 candidates were shortlisted.
These 16 candidates then participated in face-to-face interactions in Ayodhya on August 11 and 12.
The trust says Mishra was one of these candidates and appeared for his interview on August 11, in the first half.
Three candidates were recommended
After the interviews and evaluation, the Search Committee submitted its final report and recommendations to the trust on September 1.
The three names recommended were:
Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra (Retd.)
Sanjay Pratapsinh Vishwas Rao
Shruti Bharadwaj
The trust later announced Mishra’s appointment as the first CEO on September 2. His appointment has also been independently reported.
The trust has argued that Mishra’s presence among the three recommended candidates itself shows that he went through the evaluation process. However, more importantly for the specific claim being fact-checked, the trust has explicitly stated the date and time of his interview.
What does the timeline show?
July 6, 2026: Search Committee constituted.
August 11-12, 2026: 16 shortlisted candidates participated in face-to-face interactions in Ayodhya.
August 11, 2026: Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra participated in the interview in the first half of the day.
September 1, 2026: Search Committee submitted its final report and recommendations.
September 2, 2026: Mishra was officially appointed as the first CEO of the Ram Mandir Trust.
The claim that Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra did not participate in the Ram Mandir CEO interview process is contradicted by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s official clarification.
The trust says Mishra was among the 16 shortlisted finalists and that he participated in the face-to-face interview in Ayodhya on August 11, 2026, during the first half of the day.
The controversy was based on claims questioning his presence in the interview process, but the trust has now provided a specific account of when the interview took place and said that every stage of the selection process was documented.
