AYODHYA: Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra (Retd), who commanded the Indian Air Force‘s Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, has been appointed the first chief executive officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.The appointment was announced during the trust’s meeting in Ayodhya on Wednesday, which had earlier announced the appointment of three new trustees: Delhi-based Mahesh Bhagchandka, a relative of late VHP leader Ashok Singhal; Ayodhya-based Madan Mohan Pandey; and retired Hindi professor Nirmala Yadav of Shikohabad.The CEO appointment assumes significance as the trust moves to strengthen the administrative and financial management of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, months after a controversy over alleged irregularities and embezzlement in the handling of temple donations and related financial management systems.Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra brings nearly four decades of experience in the Indian Air Force to the post.Commissioned as a fighter pilot in December 1986, he has logged more than 3,000 flying hours and served in several key operational, testing and strategic positions.He was both a fighter combat leader and an experimental test pilot, and served as the commanding officer of a fighter squadron, commander of two frontline air bases and chief test pilot at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE).Mishra later served as Commandant of ASTE and deputy chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Doctrine, Organisation and Training).At Air Headquarters, he held key positions including director of Operational Planning and Assessment, principal director (ASR) and assistant chief of Air Staff (Projects).In January 2025, Mishra took charge as Commander-in-Chief of the IAF’s Western Air Command, a strategically important position responsible for India’s western borders. He commanded the formation during Operation Sindoor in May 2025.For his service during the operation, Mishra was awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, a prestigious military decoration awarded for distinguished service during conflict.Mishra retired from the IAF in April 2026. He is originally from Bhopatpura in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district and comes from a middle-class family. His father was a lecturer.A graduate of the National Defence Academy in Pune, Mishra also underwent advanced training at the Air Force Test Pilots School in Bengaluru, the Air Command and Staff College in the United States and the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom.His appointment as the first CEO gives the Ram Temple Trust an administrator with extensive experience in military leadership, strategic planning, operations and institutional management at a time when the Trust is expanding its administrative structure.
Meet first Ram Temple CEO
- Operation Sindoor commander: Mishra commanded the IAF’s Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
- First Ram Temple CEO: He has been appointed the first CEO of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
- Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal awardee: He received the prestigious Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal for distinguished service during conflict.
- Joined IAF in 1986: Mishra was commissioned as a fighter pilot in December 1986 and retired in April 2026.
- 3,000+ flying hours: He has logged more than 3,000 hours of flying during his IAF career.
- Fighter and test pilot: He served as both a fighter combat leader and experimental test pilot.
- Frontline command experience: His career included command of a fighter squadron and two frontline air bases.
- Senior strategic roles: Mishra served as Commandant of ASTE and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, besides holding several key positions at Air Headquarters.
- Elite military training: He is an NDA graduate and trained at institutions in India, the US and the UK.
- Roots in eastern UP: Mishra hails from Bhopatpura in Deoria district, relatively close to Ayodhya, and comes from a middle-class family. His father was a lecturer.
