With the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust shortlisting 18 candidates from around 5,200 applicants for the post of its first full-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO), one applicant, Amitabh Thakur, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who did not receive a response to his application for the post, on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) called for transparency in selection criteria and process, and asked the Trust to make public the names of shortlisted candidates.

“Today, I have sent a letter to the Ram Temple Trust in Ayodhya. I had applied for the post of the CEO of the Trust, but no information has been received till date. Through media reports, I came to know that out of roughly 5,200 applications, 18 people were called for the interview on August 11 and 12 in Ayodhya. I don’t have any personal grievance over not being called for the interview, but amid the large number of applicants for the post, the Trust must make public the names of the candidates shortlisted for the interview. Along with it, the criteria for shortlisting should also be informed, and applicants should be officially informed about their candidature or rejection. I feel transparency should be maintained,” Mr. Thakur, a 1992 batch former IPS officer of the U.P. cadre, told The Hindu. 

One applicant, who was shortlisted, told The Hindu that a formal registration had been carried at Ayodhya on Tuesday. “I received information by email that I had been shortlisted. Today, a formal registration has been done at Ayodhya. My interview is scheduled for August 12,” the applicant said. 

According to the notification, the CEO’s primary responsibility will be to oversee the management of the Ram Temple’s affairs. “The candidate will have to be a practising Hindu, and strictly follow Hindu traditions and guidelines,” the notification said.

Published - August 11, 2026 09:12 pm IST