Ram Temple donation theft row: Temple project manager, engineer Jagdish Aphale picked as secretary by trust

Ram Temple donation theft row: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is set to appoint a new secretary. IIT Bombay engineer and temple project manager Jagdish Aphale has been proposed for the role, according to people aware of the matter. The proposal is expected to be formally approved at the trust’s executive meeting on 2 September.

The secretary post was created as part of an administrative restructuring to manage the expanding operations of the Ram Temple. The proposed appointments come as the trust revamps its administrative setup following allegations of donation embezzlement.

Interim general secretary Krishna Mohan confirmed that Aphale’s name has been proposed for the post. If appointed, Aphale will oversee the temple’s daily administration and report to Mohan. He will function as an office bearer but will not be a member of the trust, sources said.

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The trust’s chief executive officer, whose appointment is still pending, will also serve as an office bearer without being inducted as a trust member. Mohan added that the process to appoint an official spokesperson for the trust is under way, with several names under consideration.

A resident of Pune, Aphale is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh 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, Aphale was deputed as honorary project manager. Since then, he has been living at the Teerth Kshetra Bhavan in Ayodhya.

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The trust had announced the creation of the secretary’s post at a meeting on July 22. At the same meeting, it deferred the selection of its first chief executive officer by a month, saying the screening committee needed more time to vet three suitable applicants from the 5,200 applications received for the post.

The restructuring follows allegations of misappropriation of cash offerings. A special investigation team was constituted in June after the trust sought a probe into the alleged embezzlement. The SIT submitted its preliminary report later that month, after 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.