Ram Temple trust picks IIT Bombay alumnus Jagdish Aphale as secretary amid donation 'theft' row

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has named Jagdish Aphale as the secretary to oversee the daily administration, people aware of the matter said.The appointment will be formally ratified at the trust’s executive meeting on September 2, the people said.Secretary post created as part of Trust restructuringThe post of secretary has been created as part of the administrative restructuring to manage the expanding operations of the Ram Temple, they added.Also read: Supreme Court says Ram temple donation case must have 'speedy, qualitative, impartial probe' in timely mannerAphale, an engineer who has overseen the temple’s construction, will report to interim general secretary Krishna Mohan. While he will function as an office bearer, Aphale will not be a member of the Trust.Similarly, the chief executive officer (CEO), whose appointment is still pending, will also serve as an office bearer without being inducted as a Trust member, the people said.Interim general secretary Krishna Mohan confirmed that Aphale’s name has been proposed for the post. He said the process to appoint an official spokesperson for the Trust is also underway, with several names under consideration.Temple project manager chosen for key roleA resident of Pune, Aphale is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and holds a BTech in Electrical Engineering and an MTech from IIT Bombay.He worked with several multinational companies, including assignments in Europe and the United States, before returning to India after retirement. Following the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ram Temple and the start of construction, he was deputed as honorary project manager. Since then, he has been living at the Teerth Kshetra Bhavan in Ayodhya.When contacted, Aphale said he would speak to the media only after September 2.The Trust announced the creation of secretary post during a meeting on July 22. During the same meeting, the Trust deferred the selection of its first chief executive officer (CEO) by a month as the screening committee needs more time to vet three suitable applicants from the 5,200 applications received for the post.Appointments follow donation embezzlement controversyThe proposed appointments come after the Trust announced a revamp following allegations of donation embezzlement. An SIT was constituted in June after the Trust sought a probe into alleged misappropriation of cash offerings.The SIT submitted its preliminary report later that month, following which police registered an FIR and arrested eight accused.Also read: Police yet to file FIR against Champat Rai, others, we will approach court: Faizabad Bar Association lawyersIn the aftermath of the controversy, General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra stepped down from their respective positions, while the Trust began restructuring its administrative setup.