Chronology of the Babri Mosque-Ram Mandir land dispute

Chronology of events

1528: Babri Masjid is built by Babur, the first Mughal emperor of India.It was built after demolishing a Ram Temple.

1859: British erected fences to separate Hindu, Muslim areas of worship.

1949: Hindus and Muslims filed title suits claiming the land, the government took over the disputed site.

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The following illustrates the development of the title suit which had beenundertaken by the court in the past years.

 According to a Wikipedia post, The first recorded incident of violence over the issue between Hindus and Muslims modern times took place in 1853 during the reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh. A Hindu sect called the Nirmohis claimed the structure, contending that the mosque stood on the spot where a temple had been destroyed during Babar’s time. According to the District Gazetteer Faizabad 1905, "up to this time (1855), both the Hindus and Muslims used to worship in the same building. But since the Mutiny (1857), an outer enclosure has been put up in front of the Masjid and the Hindus forbidden access to the inner yard, make the offerings on a platform (chabootra), which they have raised in the outer one."

1885 - The first suit was filed by Mahant Raghubir,who sought permission to build a temple on Ram Chabootra – a temporary structure built for the Hindus to pray right outside the babri masjid. But this was not accepted by the Faizabad district court in 1886.


1949-Idols of Lord Rama appeared in the inside area of the mosque where muslims worshipped

1950 – The next suit was filed by flied Hashim Ansari in the Faizabad court asking for the mosque gates to be opened and Namaz allowed this followed  with Gopal Visharad and Mahant Paramhans Ramchandra Das  filing a suit to  asking permission offer prayers at the Janmabhoomi.

1959 - The third suit was filed by the Nirmohi akhara in the Faizabad court asking to remove Priya Dutt Ram from the management of the "temple" and take charge himself.

1961 - A fourth suit was filed by the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board asking for the restoration of the Muslims' right to pray at the mosque.

1964 - All three suits filed by Hindus and the one filed by the WAQF Board are consolidated as suit No. 12/196, becoming the main case in the dispute. 1. TO build a temple at the Ram Chabootra 2. Mosque gates to be opened and Muslims allowed to pray Namaaz 

1989 - VHP steps up campaign, laying the foundations of a Rama temple on land adjacent to the disputed mosque. Former VHP vice-president Justice Deoki Nandan Agarwal files a case, seeking the mosque be shifted elsewhere.

1992 - The mosque was razed by a Hindu mob, resulting widespread clashes between the Hindus and the Muslims in which more than 2,000 people lost their lives. On December 16, the Liberhan Commission  was formed to investigate the demolished and long disputed Babri Masjid structure.

Apr 2002: The Godhra attacks on the Ayodhya pilgrims in leaving 58 dead that then sparked Gujarat riots that left 2000 civilians dead. This was followed by Allahabad High Court bench who began hearing on title suit.

Sep 2003 - A court rules that seven Hindu leaders should stand trial for creating the destruction of the Babri Mosque, but no charges are brought against Mr Advani, who was also at the site in 1992 and who led the Rath Yatra that led to the demolition. 

Nov 2004 - A court in Uttar Pradesh rules that Mr Advani 's role in the destruction of the mosque should be reviewed.

Sep 23, 2010- A day ahead of the Allahabad High Court verdict, the Supreme Court stayed the judgment.

Sep 28, 2010-The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday the Ayodhya dispute case, in which by an interim order on September 23, the Allahabad High Court had been restrained from pronouncing the verdict in the four title suits.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices Aftab Alam and K.S. Radhakrishnan will hear petitioner Ramesh Chandra Tripathi, who wanted a negotiated settlement; the Sunni Central Board of Wakfs, Uttar Pradesh; the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board; Baba Dharamdas; Mohd. Hashim; and the All-India Hindu Maha Sabha pleading for vacating the stay and allowing the High Court to pronounce the verdict.

The Bench will also hear Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati for the Centre, and other defendants in the connected suits.

Sep 30, 2010-A special Full Bench of Justices S.U. Khan, Sudhir Agarwal and D.V. Sharma of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court will pronounce its verdict on the Ayodhya title suits on Thursday. The final hearing began on July 23, 1996, and verdict was reserved on July 26 this year.


High Court awards two-thirds of disputed Ayodhya site to Hindu parties, one-third to Sunni Waqf Board.