From Babri Masjid To Inauguration Of Ram Mandir – Making Of A Milestone

1947

A local court designates the Sunni Waqf Board, rather than the Shia Waqf Board, as having authority over the Babri Masjid.

1949

Idols placed inside the mosque sparking a dispute. Both parties file civil suits. The court orders locking the gates, citing the matter as sub judice.

December 22, 1949

District Magistrate K K Nayar declines to remove idols of Ram placed inside the mosque by Hindu Mahasabha members. The mosque comes under lock and key, initiating a legal battle.

1950

Muslim and Hindu parties file suits in the Faizabad court, requesting permission for namaz and prayers. An interim injunction allows a pujari, but forbids entry to others.

1959

Nirmohi Akhara, led by Mahant Bhaskar Das, files a suit asking for pujas to be conducted on the disputed site.

1961

The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board files a suit asking for Muslims to be allowed to pray in the mosque.

1981

The Sunni board files for possession of the site.

1984

L K Advani leads the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, boosting the BJP’s prominence. The gates of the Babri Masjid are unlocked, sparking protests.

1989

The Allahabad High Court orders maintenance of status quo. The Rajiv Gandhi government permits the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) to perform shilanyas on the disputed land.

September 25, 1990

Advani launches the Rath Yatra, and is arrested later. Communal clashes erupt.

October 30, 1990, and November 2, 1990

The Uttar Pradesh police fires upon the kar sevaks when they gather near the Ram Janmabhoomi site and start approaching the campus of the Babri Masjid.

1991

The BJP becomes the second-largest party in the Lok Sabha. Kalyan Singh heads the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

December 6, 1992

Babri Masjid is demolished, leading to communal violence. FIRs are filed against kar sevaks and leaders including Advani, M M Joshi and Uma Bharti.

December 8, 1992

Muslims in Pakistan attack Hindu temples in protest.

December 16, 1992

The Liberhan Commission is established to investigate the case.

1993

The Narasimha Rao government acquires the land around the Babri Masjid. Charges are filed against Advani and others.

1994

The Supreme Court finds Kalyan Singh guilty.

2001

The special CBI court drops charges against Advani and others.

2002

Prime Minister A B Vajpayee initiates talks. The Allahabad High Court directs excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

2003

The ASI reports evidence of a 10th century temple beneath the mosque. The CBI special court orders trial against seven Hindutva leaders.

November 2004

An Uttar Pradesh court reviews earlier order exonerating Advani.

July 5, 2005

Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists attack the Ram Janmabhoomi complex.

June 30, 2009

The Liberhan Commission implicates BJP and VHP leaders.

May 9, 2011

The Supreme Court suspends the ruling of the Allahabad High Court.

2016

Subramanian Swamy files a plea for Ram temple construction.

2017

Advani, Joshi, and Uma Bharti face charges. Trial is ordered to be completed in two years.

2018

The Supreme Court hears civil appeals in a title dispute.

2019

A Constitution Bench is formed to hear the title dispute. Primary Muslim litigant offers to drop appeals.

November 9, 2019

The Supreme Court grants disputed land to Hindu parties and allocates five acres in Dhannipur village of Faizabad to the Sunni Waqf Board.

February 5, 2020

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approves the establishment of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. This trust is tasked with overseeing the construction of the Ram temple at the historic site in Ayodhya. Modi officially announces this development in the Lok Sabha, marking a significant step towards the realisation of a longstanding cultural and religious aspiration.

February 24, 2020

The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board accepts land allocation of five acres from the state government. This land is designated for the construction of a mosque.

May 8, 2020

The Supreme Court extends trial completion time.

August 5, 2020

Modi, in a momentous event, lays the foundation stone for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The ceremony marks a symbolic and historic milestone, signifying the beginning of the actual construction process.

September 30, 2020

The special CBI court acquits all 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

January 22, 2024

Date set for Modi to officially inaugurate the temple in Ayodhya.

(Compiled by Vikram Raj)

(This appeared in the print as 'Making Of A Milestone')