Ram Mandir Trust Names IIT Alum Jagdish Aphale As Secretary, To Oversee Operations And Finance

According to sources, Jagdish Aphale has been named secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to supervise day-to-day operations. On September 2, 2026, the trust’s executive meeting will formally approve the appointment.

Mr. Aphale, a resident of Pune, is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and has an MTech from IIT Bombay and a BTech in Electrical Engineering. Before returning to India after retirement, he worked for a number of global companies, including positions in the US and Europe.

He was named honorary project manager following the 2019 Supreme Court decision on the Ram Temple issue and the start of temple building. He has been living at the Teerth Kshetra Bhavan in Ayodhya ever since. Since the misappropriation of donations made at the temple was discovered during the first week of June, the Ayodhya Ram Temple and its Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust have been in the news.

Eight persons have been detained in relation to the crimes since then. Following the controversy surrounding the temple contribution misappropriation case, the trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai, and member, Anil Mishra, resigned last month.

The trust also opened applications earlier this month for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which will be responsible for managing and overseeing the temple’s operations.

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