IIT Bombay alumnus Jagdish Aphale, named Ram temple trust’s first secretary, will oversee transactions
Aphale, an engineer who has overseen the temple’s construction, will report to interim general secretary Krishna Mohan.
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The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday, July 29, named IIT Bombay alumnus Jagdish Aphale as the secretary to oversee the daily administration. As per reports, Aphale will now oversee the Ram Temple's day-to-day administration. The appointment will be formally ratified at the trust’s executive meeting on September 2. The post of secretary has been created as part of the administrative restructuring to manage the expanding operations of the Ram Temple.
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Aphale, 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.
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.
Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh: Ram Mandir Trust member Dinendra Das says, "Whatever decision the Trust takes will be accepted.....Jagdish Aphale said he can assist and he is currently engaged in the service of Lord Ram at the Ram Temple...." pic.twitter.com/Q8fJHdcT2n
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A 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.
Aphale said he would speak to the media only after September 2. The Trust announced the creation of a 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.
The 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. In 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.