Timeline of the Ayodhya Conflict

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Timeline of the Ayodhya Conflict

On April 17, 2017, the Supreme Court  allowed the CBI plea and restored criminal conspiracy charges against top BJP leaders LK Advani, M M Joshi and Uma Bharti who will now face trial in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.

The Babri Masjid became the landmark of communal dischord between two sections- hindus and muslims and a political dispute that till date, remains unsettled. The history goes way back to the late 19th century and has been continuing for over a 100 years now.

What was Babri Masjid?

The Babri Masjid was a mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh built in approximately 1528–29 CE (935 AH) by Mir Baqi, on orders of the Mughal emperor Babur.

The mosque was located on a hill known as Ramkot and a section of the Hindu community claimed that the Mughals destroyed a structure marking the birthplace of Rama (Ram Janmabhoomi) to build the mosque. This, however, was denied by the opposing muslims.

The Ayodhya Dispute

The plot of the land of the Babri Masjid created a rift between the two sections of the society amid political, historical and socio-religious debates.

The Ayodhya dispute has been an emotive issue for decades and mired in a slew of legal suits involving Hindu and Muslim religious groups.

The Chronology of events

1853: First recorded incidents of communal violence at the disputed site take place.

1859: British officials erect a fence to separate the places of worships, allowing the inner court to be used by Muslims and the outer court by Hindus.

1885: Court Dispute Begins -  Mahant Raghubir Das files the first suit in the matter, seeking to build a temple on land adjoining the mosque.  The Faizabad District Magistrate (DM) refuses him permission. Next, Mahant Raghubir Das files a title suit in Faizabad Court against the Secretary of State for India, seeking permission to build a temple on the chabutra (courtyard) of the Babri mosque. Faizabad Court rejects his plea.Mahant Raghubir Das files a suit seeking permission to build a canopy on Ram Chabootra but his plea was rejected a year after by the Faizabad district court.

Dec 1949: Ram Idol Appears inside the Mosque  - On the night of 22nd December, a Ram Idol appears inside the mosque. Hindus see the appearance of the Idol as a divine revelation, however many argue that the Idol was smuggled inside at night. Hindus start offering prayers.

 The Government declares the site as a “contested area” and locks the entrance.

January 18, 1950: The first title suit filed by Gopal Singh Visharad asking for the right to worship the idols installed at 'Asthan Janmabhoomi'. The court restrained the removal of idols and allowed the worship to continue.

April 24, 1950: The State of UP appeals against the injunction order.

1950: Ramchandra Paramhans files another suit, but withdraws later.Two suits are filed in Faizabad Court by Gopal Simla Viharad and Paramhansa Ramachandra Das, seeking permissiong to conduct Hindu pujas to Ram Lalla. The Court granted the parties permission to conduct pujas. The Court orders the inner courtyard gates to remain locked.

1959: Nirmohi Akhara enters the fray and files the third suit, seeks possession of the site, doing away with the court-appointed receiver. It claims itself to be the custodian of the spot at which Ram was supposedly born.

December 18, 1961: UP Sunni Central Board of Waqfs moves in to claim possession of the mosque and adjoining land.

1984: Ram Janmbhoomi Movement commences - Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) constitutes a group to start the Ram Janmbhoomi Movement. BJP leader LK Advani is made the leader of the campaign.

1st February, 1986: Inner Gate of Babri Mosque opened -  A third party, lawyer UC Pandey appeals for the gates to be unlocked before the Faizabad Session Court, on the grounds that the Faizabad district administration, and not a Court, had ordered its closure. District Judge orders the locks to be removed to allow Hindu “pooja and darshan”. Muslims constitute a Babri Mosque Action Committee (BMAC) in protest.

1986: On a plea of Hari Shanker Dubey, a district judge directs Masjid gates to be unlocked to allow 'darshan'. Muslims set up Babri Masjid Action Committee.

November 9, 1989: Shilanayas performed - PM Rajiv Gandhi allows the VHP to perform Shilanayas (laying of foundation stone) near disputed area.

1989: A fresh suit is filed by former VHP vice-president Deoki Nandan Agarwala in the name of Lord Ram for declaration of the title and possession in its favour at the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC.

October 23, 1989: All the four suits, pending before a Faizabad court transferred to a special bench of the HC.

1989: VHP lays foundations of a Ram temple on land adjacent to the disputed mosque.1990: VHP volunteers partially damage the mosque. Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar tries to resolve the dispute through negotiations, which fails the next year.

September 25, 1990: Rath Yatra - LK Advani launches a Rath Yatra from Somnath (Gujarat) to Ayodhya (UP) to incite support for the Movement. Communal riots break out.

Dec 6, 1992: The disputed mosque is razed by Karsevaks, prompting nationwide communal riots which claimed more than 2,000 lives. The Karsevaks leave behind a make-shift temple in its place.

Remembering Ayodhya movement. 

Went there with our media team. Coordinated with Pramod Mahajan ji.

The media team stayed in Shaan-e- Awadh hotel in Faizabad. The area below the staircase was converted into a makeshift dark room for photographers.

On December 6 that year, a large number of 'Kar Sevaks' - who had gathered in the temple town and demolished the 16th- century Babri structure, sending ripples across the country. Riots followed the demolition and curfew was imposed on Ayodhya.

The disputed structure fell between 12.00noon and 1.00pm. I was amazed to see that people were eager to take the stones of the debris, as if it was gold.

Dec 16, 1992: 10 days after the Mosque was demolished, the PM forms a committee led by retired High Court Judge Mr. M. S. Liberhan to look into circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri Mosque and the communal riots. The Commission was originally mandated to submit its report within three months of its formation.

January 7, 1993: State acquires Ayodhya land - Narsimha Rao Government issues an ordinance acquiring 67.7 acres of land (Site and adjoining areas). Later it was passed as a law – Acquisition of Certain Areas at Ayodhya Act, 1993 to facilitate acquisition of land by Central government.

1994: Ismail Faruqui Judgment – The SC by a majority of 3:2 upheld the constitutionality of Acquisition of Certain Areas at Ayodhya Act.

 The majority judgment by former CJI JS Verma reasoned that every religious immovable property is liable to be acquired. The SC adjudged that offering namaz at mosque was not integral to Islam unless that mosque had any particular significance in Islam. The judgment has been criticized for regarding the mosque as a non-essential place of worship.

 There were no reviews filed against Ismail Faruqui

Jul, 1996: Allahabad HC clubs all civil suits.

2002: The HC directs the Archaeological Survey of India to excavate the site to determine if a temple lay underneath.

April 2002: Ayodhya Title Dispute case begins - The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court begins hearing Ayodhya Title Dispute. Three High Court judges begin hearing.

Jan, 2003: ASI begins a court-ordered survey to find out whether a temple to Lord Rama existed at the site.

Aug, 2003: The survey says there is evidence of a temple beneath the mosque. Muslims dispute the findings.

Jul, 2005: Suspected Islamic militants attack the disputed site. Security forces kill five people.

Jun, 2009: Liberhan commission investigating the events leading up to the mosque demolition submits its report - 17 years after it began its inquiry and after getting extension for 48 times.

Jul 26, 2010: Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court reserves its order on the suits, fixes September 24 for pronouncement of verdict.

Sep 17, 2010: HC refuses to defer pronouncement of the verdict as pleaded by one of the parties R C Tripathi in the suit.

Sep 21, 2010: Tripathi approaches SC against HC order. A bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and A K Patnaik refuses to take up the case. Matter referred to another bench.

Sep 23, 2010: Difference of opinion between two Justices R V Raveendran and H L Gokhale crops up on entertaining the petition. Court issues notices to the parties.

Sep 28, 2010: SC dismisses Tripathi's plea for deferment of the verdict by the HC which now fixes September 30 for pronouncement of the judgement.

September 30, 2010:  The final verdict from Allahabad High Court comes in: the site is to be split—Muslims, Hindus and the Nirmohi akhara sect get a third of the land each. The main portion, where the mosque once stood, goes to the Hindus. The HC allotted the dome of the demolished Babri Masjid, under which the makeshift temple currently stands, to the Hindus. The structure was demolished by a group of Karsevaks on December 6, 1992. The nearby Ram Chabutra and Sita Rasoi also went to the Nirmohi Akhara. The one-third share of the Sunni Wakf Board comprise the outer courtyard of the disputed land.

 December 2010: The Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha and Sunni Waqf Board move to the Supreme Court challenging part of the Allahabad High Court’s verdict.

May 2011: Supreme Court stays Allahabad High Court ruling - The SC admits a batch of petitions filed by all parties. A Division Bench of Justices Aftam Alam and R.M. Lodha term the High Court Judgment as “strange”. RM Lodha observs "a new dimension has been given by the High Court as the decree of partition was not sought by the parties. It was not prayed for by anyone. It has to be stayed. It’s a strange order. How can a decree for partition be passed when none of the parties had prayed for it?..”

2014: BJP led by Narendra Modi comes to power at the centre.

December 25, 2014: Mohammad Farooq, oldest litigant in the case, died, Farooq, a resident of Ayodhya, was one of the seven main Muslim litigants in the 1949 Babri Masjid case.

2015: The VHP announces a nationwide drive to collect stones for the construction of the Ram Mandir.  In December, two trucks of stones arrive at the disputed site. Mahant Nritya Gopal Das claims there is a green signal from the Modi government that the temple will be built now. The Uttar Pradesh government led by Akhilesh Yadav says it will not allow the arrival of the stones in Ayodhya for the construction of the Ram Mandir.

March 2017: The Supreme Court said charges against Advani and other leaders cannot be dropped in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case and that the case may be revived.

March 21, 2017: Former Chief Justice Khehar suggests an out of court settlement among all parties.

March 2017: BJP wins a mammoth victory in Uttar Pradesh in the Assembly Elections. Yogi Adityanath known as a hardline Hindu mascot and the founder of Hindu Yuva Vahini takes oath as UP's Chief Minister.

March 21, 2017: The Supreme Court says the matter is sensitive and should be settled out of court. It asks stakeholders to hold talks and find an amicable solution.

Apr 6: SC favours time-bound completion of trial in the case and reserves order on CBI's plea.

Apr 19: SC restores criminal conspiracy charge against leaders including Advani, Joshi and union cabinet minister Uma Bharti in the case and clubs the trial in the matter pending against VIPs and karsevaks.

 August 11, 2017: 3 judge bench of SC starts hearing the matter - The 3 judge bench of SC comprising CJI Dipak Misra, Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer began hearing the appeal.

Feb – July 2018:  The petitioners argue that the SC ought to refer the 1994 Ismail Faruqui judgment to a 7-judge Bench for reconsideration.

 July 20, 2018: SC reserves verdict - The SC reserves judgment on the question of referring the appeal to a larger Bench

 September 27, 2018: SC refuses to form a larger Bench - The 3 judge bench in a split of 2:1 verdict held that the Ismail Faruqui judgment of 1994 does not require reconsideration by a larger bench.

 January 8, 2019: CJI Gogoi forms a 5 judge Bench - CJI Gogoi used his administrative powers to list the matter before a 5 judge Constitution Bench, overturning the September 2018 judgment.

 March 8, 2019: Supreme Court orders mediation - After 2 days of hearing, the Constitution Bench orders court-monitored mediation, despite the objection of some key parties. The mediation is set to end in mid May 2019.

September 2019 : Supreme Court sets 18 October deadline for conclusion of Ayodhya hearings.

October 2019: SC concludes Ayodhya daily hearings in 40 days, reserves verdict. The five-judge bench of the Supreme Court concluded hearing in the case that lasted for 40 days. The apex court is expected to deliver its judgment on the Ayodhya case before November 17, 2019, the date on which the current CJI demits office.