The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust has initiated the interview process for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) today, with 18 candidates shortlisted from over 5,300 applicants. These interviews will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday at the temple premises, presided over by a panel that includes former Justice Pramod Kohli, retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi, and scientist Suresh Haware. The successful candidate must adhere to certain criteria such as being a practicing Hindu, observing Hindu traditions, maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle, and abstaining from alcohol. The appointment of a CEO comes in the wake of embezzlement allegations against temple staff and authorities, which were first reported in early June. The Uttar Pradesh government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 to investigate these claims, with eight individuals - Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav - being arrested. During the investigation, police recovered substantial amounts of cash, gold, silver, and foreign currency from multiple accused. The age criterion for the CEO role has been set between 50 and 70 years. The selected individual will be responsible for overseeing the administration and management of the Ram temple's affairs and businesses, as the current staff faces a probe into the embezzlement of donations. This appointment is crucial to ensuring the transparent and efficient operation of the Ram temple in the future.