Ram Temple Trust rejects claims Jitendra Mishra skipped interviews, says CEO selection was transparent

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra which oversees the management of the Ram Mandir complex in Ayodhya on Monday issued a statement clarifying the process followed for selecting its Chief Executive Officer CEO after questions were raised in some media reports about the appointmentThe Trust said claims that Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra Retd did not participate in the interview rounds were factually incorrect It said his inclusion among the three candidates recommended by the Search Committee was evidence that he had participated in the selection process and had been evaluated along with the other shortlisted candidatesTrust rejects claims over Mishrarsquos participationClaims suggesting that Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra Retd did not participate in the interview rounds are factually incorrect the statement issued in the name of Trust General Secretary Swami Govinddev Giri saidThe statement said Mishras inclusion among the top three recommended candidates constituted documentary proof of his participation evaluation and meritbased selectionAir Marshal Mishra was subsequently appointed as the first CEO of the Trust after emerging as the top choice of the Search Committee constituted to select the head of the organisations administrative operationsSearch committee received 5585 applicationsAccording to the Trust the Search Committee was constituted on July 6 and oversaw what it described as a transparent technologyenabled selection processThe committee used artificial intelligenceassisted screening along with manual evaluation to assess the 5585 applications it received The process involved multiple stages of evaluation conducted across three locations mdash Delhi NCR Pune and SambalpurFollowing the initial screening and evaluation the committee shortlisted 16 candidates for the next stage of the selection processThe Trust said the selection process was structured to assess the candidates through multiple rounds rather than relying on a single interaction or assessment16 shortlisted candidates appeared in AyodhyaThe 16 shortlisted candidates subsequently participated in facetoface interactions in Ayodhya on August 11 and 12The Trust specifically clarified that Air Marshal Mishra participated in the interaction process during the first half of August 11The clarification was issued after questions were raised over whether Mishra had participated in the interview process before being recommended for the CEOs positionThe Search Committee later submitted its final report to the Trust recommending three candidates for consideration The recommended names were Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra Sanjay Pratapsinh Vishwas Rao and Shruti BharadwajTrust says selection process was documentedThe Trust said the three names were formally announced during media interactions after the completion of the evaluation processThe Search Committee submitted its final report recommending Air Marshal Mishra Sanjay Pratapsinh Vishwas Rao and Shruti Bharadwaj the statement saidIt added that the formal announcement of the names confirmed that the evaluation process had been completed and that the selection of the CEO had been finalisedThe Trust also stressed that the entire exercise was conducted in accordance with the highest standards of institutional governance and transparencyAccording to the statement each stage of the selection process was documented while the identities of all finalists were recorded during their interactions in AyodhyaTrust promises factual clarification on queriesThe Trust said the records maintained during the recruitment process could be used to establish the participation and evaluation of candidates at different stagesIt reiterated that Air Marshal Mishras presence among the final three recommended candidates was consistent with the documented selection process and rejected suggestions that he had been selected without participating in the interview roundsThe Trust said it would continue to respond to questions concerning the appointment with factual informationIt further pledged to remain committed to transparency and will continue to provide factual information to address any further inquiries regarding the selection processWith inputs from IANS