“HISTORY OF BABRI MASJID CASE”

 The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case is centered on a controversial piece of land

in the Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh where Lord Ram (as believed by Hindus) was born.
 1528: The flashpoint between Hindus and Muslims regarding the religious site dates
back to 1528 when a mosque was built on the site which Hindus claimed as the 'Ram
Janmabhoomi' (Lord Ram's birthplace). Mir Baqi, one of Mughal King Babur's
generals was said to have demolished a temple of Rama which already existed at the
disputed site and constructed a mosque instead naming it Babri Masjid (Babur's
mosque).
 1853: Due to this contention between Hindus and Muslims, first recorded incidents of
religious violence came about in the year 1853.
 1859: The British colonial administration fenced the site to separate the worship
places, where inner court was used by Muslims and outer court by Hindus.
Meanwhile, the head of Nirmohi Akhara filed a petition before the district judge of
Faizabad court to permit Hindus to pray to Ram Lalla inside Babri Masjid which was
not granted.
 1949: Hindus allegedly placed Lord Ram’s idols inside the Babri mosque. This led to
the Muslims’ protests with both the communities filing civil suits. The government
proclaimed the site a disputed area and locked the gates.
 1984: Vsihwa Hindu Parishad Party (VHP) spearheaded a committee to “liberate” the
alleged birth-place of Lord Rama and build the deity’s temple at the disputed land.
BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani takes charge of the campaign.
 1986: District judge in 1986 ordered the gates of the mosque to be opened to Hindus
to worship Lord Rama which irked Muslims who then formed Babri Mosque action
committee in protest of the ruiling.
 1989: VHP heightened its campaign and laid the foundation of the Ram temple
alongside the Babri mosque
 1990: VHP volunteers damaged the mosque partially inviting then Prime Minister
Chandra Shekhar intervention who tried to resolve the matter through negotiations
between the two communities but failed.
 1991: BJP party comes to power in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
 1992: The Hindu Kar-sevaks and supporters of VHP, the Shiv Sena Party and the BJP
demolished the Babri Masjid leading to nationwide communal riots between the
Hindus and Muslims.
 2001: VHP pledged to build the Ram temple again at the disputed land on the
occasion of the anniversary of Babri Masjid’s demolition
 2002: The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had set up an Ayodhya cell in
his office and designated a senior official to hold talks with Hindu and Muslim
leaders. Communal riots broke out in Gujarat following an attack on a train in Godhra
which was carrying Hindu activists claiming at least 58 lives.
 2003: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) began a court-ordered survey to find
out whether a Ram temple existed at the disputed site and found evidence of a temple
which Muslims objected to. Uttar Pradesh court brought charges against seven Hindu
leaders for inciting the demolition of Babri Masjid but no charges were leveled
against Advani.
 2004: A UP court reversed an earlier order exonerating Advani for his alleged role in
the mosque’s destruction ordered to review the ruling.
 2005: Five suspected Islamic militants attacked the Ayodhya site and tried to blow a
hole in the wall of the complex with an explosive laden jeep.
 2009: Liverhan commisiion submitted its report in the parliament blaming BJP’s
active role in Babri Masjid’s demolition.
 2010: Allahabad High Court decreed the division and transfer of title in three equal
parts of the 2.77 acres of the disputed land to three principal claimants, one-third to
Muslims, Hindus another third and the remainder to the Nirmohi Akhara sect.
However, Hindus got the main disputed section of the land which Muslims objected
to and filed an appeal against in the court of law.
 2011: The Supreme Court suspended High Court ruling after the Hindus and Muslim
groups file an appeal against the 2010verdict by the Allahabad High Court.
 2017: The Supreme Court gave out its verdict charging BJP leaders with criminal
conspiracy and ordered the trail court of Lucknow to finish the hearing within two
years.
 2018: The Supreme Court directed to hear the matter in January 2019.
 February 26, 2019: The five-judge constitutional bench by Chief Justice Ranjan
Gogoi heard the matter February 26 and advocated an amicable resolution to the Ram
Mandir case through mediation.
 The apex court in its observation favoured peaceful dialogue to solve the contentious
issue. Justice SA Bobde proposed the suggestion while hearing the case. “We are
considering the possibility of healing relations between two communities. We, as a
court can only decide the property issue.” Justice SA Bobde Said.
 March 6, 2019: The five judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court reserved its
order on invocation of Section 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure to attempt court
monitored mediation in the decades old Babri Masjid- Ram Janambhoomi title suit.
 Meanwhile, the lawyers of the Hindu party had opposed the idea of mediation saying
that such attempts had failed in the past, while the Muslims parties’ lawyers voted for
the negotiations if a regular hearing on the matter went on simultaneously.