NEW DELHI: As the five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, is about to bring an end to the 134-year-long legal dispute in the country, here are some of the historical details that one should now about the issue.
While the Babri Masjid was built in the year 1528, it was in the year 1853 that certain Hindu groups came up claiming that the Masjid was built after demolishing a temple of Lord Ram. The first recorded communal clash regarding the issue took place in the year 1859. Soon, the British administration constructed a fence around the site and this remained for about 90 years.
The dispute reached the court in the year 1949 after the idols of Lord Ram were placed inside the mosque.
In the year 1984, certain Hindu units formed a committee to lead the construction of a Ram temple in the disputed land. In 1987, a district court ordered the opening of the Mosque's gates. The court also allowed Hindus to worship inside the controversial land. Following this, certain Muslim groups formed the Babri Mosque Action Committee to preserve the Masjid.
In 1989, foundations of a Ram temple were constructed on land next to the Masjid. The next year, LK Advani, the then BJP president, led a Rath yatra to support the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Following this, certain VHP activists vandalized certain portions of the Masjid.
The dispute went even more controversial when certain Hindu groups demolished the mosque on December 6, 1992. Soon after the incident, communal riots broke out across the country causing around 2000 deaths. Later, the Liberhan Commission was set up to investigate the issue. The commission, which submitted its report in 2009, held LK Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other BJP leaders responsible for the demolition.
According to a court rule in 2003, seven BJP leaders must undergo trial for the demolition of the Masjid. However, the court did not mention the name LK Advani who was the Deputy Prime Minister then. Later, a UP court ordered to review his exoneration.
Several other BJP leaders such as Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti are undergoing trial at a court in Lucknow regarding the case.
In 2010, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High court issued its verdict. According to the verdict, the controversial site must be divided into 3 parts and distributed among Nirmohi Akhara, Ram Lalla and the Sunni Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh. Soon, both Hindu groups and Muslim groups approached the Supreme court challenging the High court's verdict.
The Supreme court stayed the High court order in 2011. According to the apex court, the High court order was strange. As the three-member team appointed by the Supreme Court failed to bring about an amicable solution in the case, a five-judge constitution bench was formed to hear the arguments on August 6.
The court conducted a marathon 40-day hearing which ended on October 16. The court, which reserved the verdict, announced that the verdict will be declared before November 17 before the retirement of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
