New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) A total of 5,200 applications have been received for the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and the selection process is expected to be completed in a month, said temple officials after the special meeting on Wednesday.

The Temple Trust held a special meeting inside the temple complex in Ayodhya on Wednesday, for finalising the appointment of a new General Secretary, filling three vacant Trustee posts and also the Ram Mandir’s first CEO amid the donation misappropriation row.

Briefing the newsmen about the meeting outcome, the Temple Trust’s interim General Secretary Krishna Mohan said that the overwhelming number of applications were received for the CEO post and therefore the Board decided to extend the selection process by four weeks.

He stressed that despite the malicious propaganda and skewed narrative regarding the theft controversy, the faith of devotees has remained unshaken, and the surge of devotees to Ram Mandir has remained as static as earlier.

Ram Temple Treasurer Govind Dev Giri informed that a nine-member religious committee has been reconstituted to ensure that the temple’s religious arrangements and rituals are followed and adhered to in entirety.

“The religious committee will consist of five members from the Ayodhya saint community and four from other temple trusts. They will ensure that the daily temple rituals in Ram temple adhere to Vedic Ramanandi traditions,” Govind Dev Giri said.

“Five Ayodhya saints will ensure proper service and religious duties of the Ram temple,” he added.

He also said that a decision has been taken to set up a permanent institute, to be certified by the Ram temple trust, for training priests.

“We need them for 14 temples here. We want our priests to be known everywhere. We will teach priests across the world about religious rituals,” he said.

The Trust, pertaining to a probe into alleged embezzlement in the donation controversy, said that no discussion could take place regarding the irregularities in the offering-counting process, as the final report from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the matter has not yet been received.

–IANS

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