Dr Nirmala Yadav, a retired college principal from Uttar Pradesh, has become the first woman to join the Trust. Her induction, along with that of advocate Madan Mohan Pandey and businessman-social worker Mahesh Bhagchandka, brings academic, legal and business experience to the body.
Yadav's appointment also expands the Trust's social representation with the inclusion of a woman member from the OBC community.
The appointments follow vacancies created after the death of Bimlendra Mohan Mishra last year and the resignation of former general secretary Champat Rai and member Anil Mishra amid the donation theft controversy.
Dr Nirmala Yadav, 66, is a retired college principal from Shikohabad in Uttar Pradesh and the first woman member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
A postgraduate in Hindi and Sanskrit with a PhD, Yadav served as a college principal for 19 years. She was also a member of a university executive council for 15 years, giving her experience in academic and institutional administration, as The Indian Express reported.
Speaking to PTI, Yadav said her selection was a sign of divine grace. "I would like to say that my selection as a member of the Ram Temple Trust, from among people across the country, is merely a sign that I have been chosen by God. Nothing is possible without his blessings. Neither I nor anyone else has any role in it... it is only his grace that has been upon me and my family."
"The fact that a woman has been chosen to represent the feminine power is also a blessing from him," she added.
Madan Mohan Pandey, 74, is a law graduate and advocate based in Ayodhya Cantonment. He was associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi litigation for nearly three decades.
According to the Trust, Pandey represented Shri Ram Lalla Virajman and Mahant Shri Ramchandra Paramhans before the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court between 1990 and 2019.
The period covered several crucial stages of the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute and culminated in the Supreme Court's 2019 verdict, which paved the way for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Pandey also served as the Additional Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh for six years. He is currently associated with Shri Hari Satsang Samiti as its vice-president and is patron of the Kathakar Yojana Training Centre in Ayodhya.
Mahesh Bhagchandka, 68, is a Delhi-based businessman and social worker who has been appointed the new Treasurer of the Trust.
He replaces Govind Giri, who was earlier elevated to the post of general secretary following the resignation of Champat Rai.
Bhagchandka is associated with the Ashok Singhal Foundation and is also a member of the executive committee of the World Hindu Economic Forum.
He has also been associated with the installation of Ram Stambhs at 222 sites linked to the Shri Ram Van Gaman Yatra. Bhagchandka took part as a yajman in the Ram Temple's Bhoomi Pujan and Pran Pratishtha ceremonies.
The induction of the three trustees brings representation from different professional backgrounds, including academia, law and business.
The appointment of Dr Nirmala Yadav as the Trust's first woman member is particularly significant. The appointments also seek to broaden the Trust's social representation and institutional profile following the donation theft controversy.
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