Retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra has been appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the body that manages the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The decision was taken at the Trust meeting in Ayodhya on 2 September 2026. His selection from 5,585 applicants marks a shift from trustee led management to full time professional administration for one of India’s most visited religious sites.
Who Is Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra?
Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (Retd.) is a former fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF) who served for more than 38 years before retiring on 30 April 2026. He was commissioned into the fighter stream on 6 December 1986 after training at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Khadakwasla, Pune and the Air Force Academy in Dundigal. He hails from Bhopatpura in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, about three hours by road from Ayodhya, and comes from a middle class family where his father worked as a lecturer.
Mishra logged more than 3,000 flying hours on more than 18 types of aircraft, including fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters. He is a qualified Fighter Combat Leader and an experimental test pilot, which means he is trained to lead air combat and to test new or modified aircraft for safety and performance. He is also an alumnus of the Air Force Test Pilots School in Bengaluru, the Air Command and Staff College in the United States and the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom.
His early operational work includes service during the Kargil War of 1999. As a Squadron Leader, he was part of the team that fitted laser guided bombs on Mirage 2000 aircraft during Operation Safed Sagar, the Air Force part of the Kargil conflict. These precision weapons were later used in strikes on Tiger Hill and Muntho Dhalo. He later served as Commanding Officer of a fighter squadron in the eastern sector and as chief test pilot at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Nashik and at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru.
In senior ranks, Mishra commanded 15 Wing at Bareilly and 18 Wing at Pathankot as an Air Commodore. He served at Air Headquarters as Director of Operational Planning and Assessment and as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Projects), and later as Commandant of ASTE. After promotion to Air Marshal, he served as Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff for Doctrine, Organisation and Training and then for Operations. This is a tri services posting that plans joint work of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
His last posting was as Air Officer Commanding in Chief of the Western Air Command from 1 January 2025 to 30 April 2026. The Western Air Command controls key frontline assets in north and west India, including Rafale, Sukhoi 30 MKI and MiG 29 fighters, Apache attack helicopters, transport fleets, S 400 air defence systems and BrahMos units. During Operation Sindoor in May 2025, launched after the Pahalgam terror attack, he headed this command and guided air operations. For this role, President Droupadi Murmu conferred on him the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, which is awarded for distinguished service of the highest order during war or conflict. He had earlier received the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2024 and the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2013.
How Was the First CEO of the Ram Temple Trust Selected?
The Trust created a three member Search Committee on 6 July 2026 to choose its first CEO. The panel was headed by retired Justice Pramod Kohli, former Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court, with retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and nuclear scientist Suresh Haware as members. Haware had earlier headed the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi. Industrialist Sameer Panda served as secretary to assist with the large volume of applications.
The committee finalised its rules on 11 July and closed applications on 18 July with 5,585 applications. To screen such a large pool, it used a mix of technology assisted checks and manual review. It sent a detailed Google form of 600 marks to all applicants to assess education, experience, leadership, vision and integrity. About 3,570 candidates returned the form, and 1,580 were found eligible and suitable for detailed evaluation.
| Stage of Selection | Date | Number of Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Total applications received | Till 18 July 2026 | 5,585 |
| Forms evaluated in detail | Late July 2026 | 1,580 |
| Online interactive sessions | 3 to 6 August 2026 | 108 candidates scoring 470 marks or more |
| Face to face interviews in Ayodhya | 11 and 12 August 2026 | 16 finalists |
| Final panel recommended to Trust | 1 September 2026 | 3 names in 75 page report |
The online round tested communication, professional experience, personality, vision and technical understanding. The final 16 were interviewed at Green House in the Shri Ram Mandir complex in Ayodhya. The committee then submitted a 75 page report to the Trust on 1 September with a panel of three names. The three were Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, Major General Sanjay Pratap Singh Vishwasrao and Shruti Bhardwaj. The Trust board met on 2 September 2026 and chose Mishra for a three year term. The committee said no political, religious or social organisation interfered or recommended names in the process.
What Is the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust?
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra is the Trust set up by the central government to build and manage the Ram Temple at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. The words Teerth Kshetra mean a pilgrimage area. Its registered office is at R 20, Greater Kailash Part 1 in New Delhi, and its work site is Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
The Trust was created after the Supreme Court verdict of 9 November 2019 in the Ayodhya title dispute. A five judge Constitution Bench ruled unanimously that the entire disputed land be handed over for temple construction through a Trust to be formed by the Centre within three months. The court acted under Sections 6 and 7 of the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act, 1993 and its special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution. It also asked for a separate five acre plot in Ayodhya to be given to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board for a mosque and for suitable representation to the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu sect that was a long standing litigant.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of the Trust in the Lok Sabha on 5 February 2020. The Union Cabinet approved the plan and the Union Home Ministry notified the Trust on the same day. The government transferred about 67.703 acres of acquired land in Ayodhya to the Trust for the temple and facilities for devotees.
| Fact About the Trust | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Supreme Court direction of 9 November 2019 |
| Date of announcement | 5 February 2020 |
| Purpose | Construction and management of Ram Mandir complex |
| Total strength | 15 trustees |
| Mode of formation | 12 members nominated by government, 3 selected at first meeting |
| Chairman | Mahant Nritya Gopal Das |
| Founder trustee | K. Parasaran, former Attorney General who argued for Ram Lalla Virajman |
The Trust has 15 members. Of these, nine are permanent trustees with voting rights, including religious leaders, the representative of Nirmohi Akhara, two prominent Ayodhya residents and a Dalit representative. The other members are ex officio, which means they hold the post because of their office. They include a central government officer of at least Joint Secretary rank, a state government officer, the District Magistrate of Ayodhya and the chairman of the Temple Construction Committee. Former IAS officer Nripendra Mishra, former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, heads the Construction Committee. Senior advocate K. Parasaran, who represented the deity Ram Lalla Virajman in court, was the first acting chairman.
The temple itself was built in the traditional Nagara style of north Indian temple architecture. Nagara temples are known for tall curving spires called shikhara, a raised plinth, a sanctum called garbhagriha and pillared halls called mandapa. The Ayodhya temple is 380 feet long, 250 feet wide and 161 feet high, with 392 pillars and 44 doors. It uses pink sandstone from Rajasthan, granite and marble, and no steel or iron in the main structure. The Pran Pratishtha, or consecration ceremony, took place on 22 January 2024, after which the temple opened to the public.
Why Was a Full Time CEO Appointed Now?
The appointment comes after a difficult period for the Trust over the handling of donations. In June 2026, allegations of embezzlement of devotee donations surfaced at the temple. The Uttar Pradesh government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine financial records and donation management. During the probe, eight people linked to cash counting and handling were arrested, and large amounts of cash were reported to have been recovered.
Following the controversy, General Secretary Champat Rai, who had handled day to day decisions since construction began in August 2020, stepped down from his executive role. Trustee Anil Mishra also stepped back from administrative work. Another vacancy arose after the death of trustee Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra of the former Ayodhya royal family in August 2026. Retired forest service officer Krishna Mohan held charge as interim general secretary during this period.
The Trust board therefore decided to move to a corporate style system with a full time professional head. At the same meeting on 2 September 2026, it also restructured other top posts. Treasurer Govind Dev Giri became the new full time general secretary. Delhi based businessman Mahesh Bhagchandka, founder chairman of the M2K Group, became the new treasurer to handle finances. Three new trustees joined to fill vacancies. They are Bhagchandka, Ayodhya advocate Madan Mohan Pandey, a former Additional Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh who represented Ram Lalla Virajman from the early 1990s till the 2019 verdict, and Professor Nirmala Yadav, former principal of a degree college in Shikohabad. Yadav is the first woman to join the Trust.
What Will the New CEO Do?
As the first full time CEO, Mishra will head the daily executive and administrative work of the Trust. Earlier, trustees themselves managed operations along with their religious and other duties. Now a single professional officer will be responsible for coordination and compliance. The Trust has said it will prepare a standard operating procedure to define his duties in detail and may appoint a joint or deputy CEO if needed.
His main tasks will include management of pilgrim facilities, crowd control, staff coordination and upkeep of the temple complex. This covers booking systems such as sugam darshan and aarti passes, locker and medical facilities at the Pilgrim Facility Centre, and arrangements during large festivals like Ram Navami. He will also coordinate on security with the district administration and police, and on logistics with central and state agencies.
A second key area is finance and transparency. The temple receives very large donations in cash and online, and the Trust must maintain clear accounts, audits and technology based records. Mishra is expected to strengthen fund tracking, use of digital systems and internal checks after the donation case. His long experience in running large formations, planning operations and managing people and stores in the Air Force is seen as useful for this administrative role. He has said he will first take charge and then discuss the road map with the Trust.
Key Takeaways
- Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (Retd.) became the first CEO of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on 2 September 2026.
- Mishra was chosen from 5,585 applicants through a Search Committee headed by retired Justice Pramod Kohli.
- He served as chief of the Western Air Command from 1 January 2025 to 30 April 2026 and received the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal for Operation Sindoor.
- The Trust was announced on 5 February 2020 after the Supreme Court verdict of 9 November 2019 and manages the Ayodhya Ram Temple built in Nagara style.
- The Trust has 15 members and is chaired by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, with Nirmala Yadav inducted as its first woman trustee in September 2026.
