The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, which is involved in the management of the Ram Mandir complex, has clarified that the process and timeline of its selection of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which has recently come under certain media scrutiny.It said that the process was conducted in accordance with the highest standards of institutional governance and transparency. “Claims suggesting that Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra (retd.) did not participate in the interview rounds are factually incorrect. His inclusion among the top three recommended candidates constitutes documentary proof of his participation, evaluation, and merit-based selection,” read the statement, bearing the name of Trust general secretary Swami Govinddev Giri.Incidentally, Air Marshal Mishra (Retd) was appointed as the first CEO after he emerged as the top choice for the search panel set up for this purpose.The panel was constituted on July 6, and oversaw “a transparent, technology-enabled selection process”, using both artificial intelligence-assisted screening and manual expertise for the 5,585 applications it received and conducted “a multi-tiered evaluation across three cities”, that is Delhi NCR, Pune and Sambalpur, the statement added.It then shortlisted 16 candidates who subsequently participated in face-to-face interactions at Ayodhya on August 11 and 12, where Air Marshal Mishra participated in the first-half on the first day.The matter came to the fore after retired IPS officer Rajesh Pandey, who also had applied for the CEO position, claimed in a recent interview that the individual appointed as CEO was not even among the final 16 candidates who appeared for the interview and his name was announced at the last minute.Meanwhile, former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, who was also an applicant for the CEO post, has sent a letter to the Trust regarding this matter.In a video statement, Thakur noted that if the allegations made by Pandey prove to be true, it would cast serious doubt not only on the final appointment but on the entire selection process.Thakur has demanded a clear and satisfactory explanation from the Trust, as well as necessary corrective action, warning that if a satisfactory response is not received, he would pursue available legal remedies, including challenging the selection process and the appointment before an appropriate judicial or statutory forum.The Trust statement also pledged to remain “committed to transparency and will continue to provide factual information to address any further inquiries regarding the selection process”.”The selection process was conducted in accordance with the highest standards of institutional governance and transparency. Every stage was documented, and the identities of all shortlisted candidates were recorded in Ayodhya…”The Trust remains committed to transparency and will continue to provide factual information to address any further inquiries regarding the selection process,” it said.