The Supreme Court will pronounce its historic verdict on a batch of a petition against the 2010 Allahabad High Court order in the politically-sensitive Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case on Saturday morning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed for calm ahead of the verdict as security has been beefed in Uttar Pradesh especially in Ayodhya. School and colleges are shut in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi and prohibitory orders have been clamped in several places across the country.
Here is a timeline of the second-lengthiest case in the apex court history:
1528: Mughal emperor Babur's commander Mir Baqi, builds the mosque.
1856: Awadh's Nawab Wajid Ali Shah removed from power and exiled to then Calcutta.
1857: Indian rebellion takes place, Awadh is one of the main centres of rebellion.
1859: British administrator erects fence to separate the places of worship, with the inner courts to be used by Muslims and outer courts by Hindus.
1885: Mahant Raghubir Das files a petition in the Faizabad District Court, seeking permission to build a structure next to the mosque. The plea is rejected.
1934: Communal riot triggered by news of cow slaughter in Shahjahanpur damages mosque, but it is subsequently repaired.
1944: Commissioner of waqfs declare the land to be Sunnis' property as Babar was a Sunni.
1949: Idol of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita found inside the mosque by unknown persons. Hindus call it divine appearance and start offering prayers. Muslims complain and file suit. Hindus file counter-suit, leading the government to declare it disputed and lock its gate.
1950-59: Two suits filed in a Faizabad court by Gopal Simla Visharad and Paramhansa Ramachandra Das, seeking permission to worship the idols at the mosque. Nirmohi Akhara, a party in the case in the Supreme Court, files suit seeking possession of the site.
1964: VHP formed to safeguard "Hindu interests"
1981: Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board files suit for possession of the site and removal of idols from the mosque.
1984: Hindu outfits form a committee to "liberate" the birthplace of Lord Ram and build a temple in his honour.
1986: A local court orders opening of the gate of the disputed mosque site and allows Hindus to offer prayers. Babri Masjid Action Committee set up by the protestors.
1989: The Allahabad High Court orders status quo on the site. Rajiv Gandhi government at the Centre lets Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) perform shilanyaas for Ram Temple.
1990: BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani starts Rath Yatra from Gujrat to gather support for the temple.
1992: Babri Mosque structure demolished by karsewaks, CM Kalyan Singh resigns as Advani, Uma Bharati and MM Joshi charge-sheeted.
1993: The Centre passes an Act to acquire land in and around the disputed site in Ayodhya.
1994: In the Ismail Faruqui case, the Supreme Court rules that the mosque is not integral to Islam.
2002: The Allahabad High Court starts hearing to adjudicate the ownership of the disputed site.
2003: The Supreme Court bars any religious activity at the site.
2010: The Allahabad High Court rules trifurcation of the 2.77-acre disputed land between UP Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla Virajman. The site of the mosque is given to the Hindus.
2011: The Supreme Court stays the High Court ruling after Hindu and Muslim groups appeal.
2016: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy files plea in the Supreme Court seeking permission to worship and construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site.
2017: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat announces that only Ram temple will be built at the disputed site, ahead of the Supreme Court hearing.
2018: The Supreme Court rejects all interim pleas, including that of Swamy, seeking to intervene as parties in the case. Advocate Rajeev Dhavan files plea in the court requesting it to refer the issue of reconsideration of its 1994 judgement to a larger bench which is denied. The court forms a three-judge bench instead to hear the case.
January 2019: Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi constitutes a five-judge Constitutional Bench to hear the case
March 2019: The Supreme Court appoints a mediation panel headed by Judge (retd) FMI Kallifulla for an out-of-court settlement on March 8.
August 2019: The mediation panel fails to reach an amicable settlement. The Supreme Court begins hearing on August 6.
October 2019: After hearing the case on a day-to-day basis for 40 days, the court reserves its order on October 15.
November 2019: The 2.77 acre disputed land in Ayodhya will be given to a trust to be set up by the Centre and Sunni Waqf board will be given five acres of alternate land, the Supreme Court announced on Saturday in a historic verdict. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi delivered a unanimous verdict.
