Ayodhya: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has officially appointed retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra as its first Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The strategic appointment marks a major step in the Trust’s broader effort to professionalise the temple’s administration, improve financial transparency, and manage the massive daily influx of devotees.
Mishra was chosen from a final shortlist of three highly qualified candidates. A three-member search committee, headed by former Sikkim High Court Chief Justice Pramod Kohli, received a staggering 5,585 applications for the post. Following a rigorous screening process, 16 candidates were invited to Ayodhya for face-to-face interviews on August 11 and 12.
The committee eventually recommended three names to the Trust: retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, serving Major General Sanjay Pratap Singh Vishwasrao (who is retiring this month), and recently retired Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer Shruti Bhardwaj. After reviewing the profiles, the Trust’s board finalised Mishra for the newly created position.
Hailing from a middle-class family in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district, Mishra brings nearly four decades of elite military leadership to the 70-acre Ram Janmabhoomi complex. Commissioned into the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in December 1986, he possesses over 3,000 hours of flying experience. During his distinguished career, he commanded a fighter squadron and served as the chief test pilot at the Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE).
Most notably, Mishra took charge of the IAF’s critical Western Air Command in January 2025. He subsequently provided vital strategic leadership during ‘Operation Sindoor’, a high-stakes military operation targeting terror outfits in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He is a recipient of several prestigious military honours, including the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal.
As the first CEO, Mishra is tasked with overseeing the day-to-day operations, statutory requirements, and financial matters of the temple complex.
Outlining the scope of his duties, the Trust noted that the CEO will be responsible for “developing systems and operating procedures appropriate to the scale of the temple trust.” Drawing on his extensive experience in large-scale logistics and multi-agency coordination, Mishra will also focus on bolstering the site’s security protocols, ensuring efficient crowd management, and overseeing the remaining phases of the temple’s infrastructure development.