Babri Mosque case: Disputed land to be divided

Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court announced its judgment on the Ayodhya Babri Mosque case, apparently ruling in favour of the Hindus. According to the verdict, the disputed site would be divided into three parts; two parts of which would be used for the temple while a mosque can be built on the third part. Ramlala idol will not be removed from disputed site in Ayodhya. The court also called upon both the rival parties to decide the matter through negotiation. Earlier, more than 200,000 police officials were deployed across India and temporary jails were set up as the government prepared for possible Hindu-Muslim riots. The government had also appealed for calm once the court gave its verdict. From the capital New Delhi to the financial hub Mumbai, many Indians stayed home ahead of the decision and stocked up on food in apprehension of the verdict. However, commentators said the verdict is unlikely to spark widespread riots that hit Mumbai and other cities in 1992.Political parties had also called for calm and there is little electoral headway to be made in egging on religious riots in post-economic reform India. Armed police set up checkpoints across Ayodhya, which had a deserted feel, guarded Muslim homes, a roughly 3,000 people minority in the town of 70,000 inhabitants.Wary of these two sides being provoked into fighting, the government had banned bulk mobile text messaging nationally to prevent the spread of rumours and religious extremism. The detailed verdict on this case can be viewed at www.allahabadhighcourt.in. Timeline of Ayudhya crisisSince the 16th century when the mosque was built, this site has been the focal point for religious riots. Here's a timeline of the disputed holy site1528: A mosque is built on the site which some Hindus say marks the spot where one of the most revered deities in Hinduism, Lord Rama, was born.1853: First recorded incidents of religious violence at the site.1859: British colonial administration erects a fence to separate the places of worship, allowing the inner court to be used by Muslims and the outer court by Hindus.1949: Idols of Lord Rama appear inside mosque allegedly placed there by Hindus. Muslims protest, and both parties file civil suits. The government proclaims the premises a disputed area and locks the gates.1984: Hindus form a committee to liberate the birth-place of Lord Rama and build a temple in his honour, spearheaded by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad party (VHP).Then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishna Advani, now home minister, takes over leadership of campaign.1986: District judge orders the gates of the disputed mosque opened to allow Hindus to worship there. Muslims set up Babri Mosque Action Committee in protest.1989: VHP steps up campaign, laying the foundations of a Rama temple on land adjacent to the disputed mosque.1990: VHP volunteers partially damage the mosque. Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar tries to resolve the dispute through negotiations, which fail the next year.1991: BJP comes to power in Uttar Pradesh state, where Ayodhya is located.1992: The mosque is torn down by supporters of the VHP, the Shiv Sena party and the BJP, prompting nationwide rioting between Hindus and Muslims in which more than 2,000 people die.1998: The BJP forms coalition government under Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.2001: Tensions rise on the anniversary of the demolition of the mosque. VHP pledges again to build Hindu temple at the site.Jan 2002: Mr Vajpayee sets up an Ayodhya cell in his office and appoints a senior official, Shatrughna Singh, to hold talks with Hindu and Muslim leaders.Feb 2002: BJP rules out committing itself to the construction of a temple in its election manifesto for Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. VHP confirms deadline of 15 March to begin construction. Hundreds of volunteers converge on site. At least 58 people are killed in an attack on a train in Godhra which is carrying Hindu activists returning from Ayodhya.Mar 2002: Between 1,000 and 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, die in riots in Gujarat following the train attack.Apr 2002: Three High Court judges begin hearings on determining who owns the religious site.Jan 2003: Archaeologists begin a court-ordered survey to find out whether a temple to Lord Rama existed on the site.Aug 2003: The survey says there is evidence of a temple beneath the mosque, but Muslims dispute the findings. Mr Vajpayee says at the funeral of Hindu activist Ramchandra Das Paramhans that he will fulfil the dying man's wishes and build a temple at Ayodhya. However, he hopes the courts and negotiations will solve the issue.Sept 2003: A court rules that seven Hindu leaders should stand trial for inciting the destruction of the Babri Mosque, but no charges are brought against Mr Advani, now deputy prime minister, who was also at the site in 1992.Oct 2004: Mr Advani says his party still has unwavering commitment to building a temple at Ayodhya, which he said was inevitable.Nov 2004: A court in Uttar Pradesh rules that an earlier order which exonerated Mr Advani for his role in the destruction of the mosque should be reviewed.July 2005: Suspected Islamic militants attack the disputed site, using a jeep laden with explosives to blow a hole in the wall of the complex. Security forces kill five people they say are militants, and a sixth who was not immediately identified.June 2009: The Liberhan commission investigating events leading up to the mosque's demolition submits its report - 17 years after it began its inquiry.Nov 2009: There is uproar in parliament as the Liberhan commission's report is published and it blames leading politicians from the Hindu nationalist BJP for a role in the mosque's razing.Sept 2010: Supreme Court clears way for Allahabad High Court to issue final ruling on whether the land should go to Hindus or Muslims. Government appeals for calm.