1528 Babri Masjid was built by Mir Baqi, who was the commander of Mughal emperor Babur.
1853 The first recorded incident of violence over the holy site occurred during the reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh. Nirmohis, a Hindu sect, claim that a Hindu temple had been destroyed during the reign of Babur to construct the Babri Masjid.
1885 The first litigation move. Mahant Raghubir Das filed plea in Faizabad district court seeking permission to build a canopy outside the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid structure. The plea was turned down.
1949 Idols of Ram Lalla placed under a central dome outside the Babri Masjid structure.
1950 Gopal Simla Visharad files suit in Faizabad district court for the rights to worship the idols of Ram Lalla.
1950 Paramahansa Ramachandra Das files suit for the continuation of worship and keeping the idols at the same place.
1959 Nirmohi Akhara moves court seeking possession of site.
1961 Sunni Central Board of Waqf files a case against the placing of idols inside the mosque. The body claims that the mosque and surrounding land was a graveyard.
1981 UP Sunni Central Waqf Board moves court for possession of the site.
Feb 1, 1986 Local court in UP orders government to open and allow visits by Hindu worshippers to the site.
Aug 14, 1989 Allahabad HC orders maintenance of status quo in respect of the disputed structure.
November 1 Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) lays the foundation of a Ram temple on the land next to the Babri Masjid. Justice Deoki Nandan Agarwal, former VHP vice-president, files a case seeking the shifting of the mosque to another place.
Dec 6, 1992 Babri Masjid structure demolished by Karsewaks. It leads to riots across India which claims over 2,000 lives
April 3, 1993 ‘Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act’ passed for the acquisition of land by Centre regarding the disputed plot.
1993 Various writ petitions, including one by Ismail Faruqui, filed at Allahabad High Court challenging various aspects of the Act.
Oct 24, 1994 SC says in the historic Ismail Faruqui case that a mosque was not integral to Islam.
April 12, 2002 HC begins hearings on determining who owns the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site.
March 13, 2003 SC says, in the Aslam alias Bhure case, no religious activity of any nature is allowed on land which has been acquired by the 1993 Act.
March 14 SC says interim order passed should be operative till disposal of the civil suits in Allahabad HC to maintain communal harmony.
Sept 30, 2010 HC, in a 2:1 majority, rules three-way division of disputed area between Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.
May 9, 2011 SC stays Allahabad HC verdict on Ayodhya land dispute.
Feb 26, 2016 Subramanian Swamy files plea in Supreme Court seeking construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site.
March 21, 2017 CJI JS Khehar suggests out-of-court settlement among rival parties.
August 7 SC constitutes a three-judge bench to hear pleas challenging the 1994 verdict of the Allahabad HC.
August 8 UP Shia Central Waqf Board tells SC that mosque could be built in a Muslim-dominated area at a reasonable distance from the disputed site.
September 11 SC directs Chief Justice of the Allahabad HC to nominate two additional district judges within 10 days as observers to deal with the upkeep of the disputed site.
November 20 UP Shia Central Waqf Board tells SC temple can be built in Ayodhya and mosque in Lucknow.
December 1 Thirty-two civil rights activists file a plea challenging the 2010 verdict of the Allahabad HC.
Feb 8, 2018 SC starts hearing civil appeals.
March 14 SC rejects all interim pleas, including that of Swamy’s, seeking to intervene as parties in the case.
April 6 Advocate Rajeev Dhavan files plea in SC to refer the issue of reconsideration of the observations in its 1994 judgement to a larger bench.
July 6 UP government tells SC that some Muslim groups are trying to delay the hearing by seeking reconsideration of an observation in the 1994 verdict.
Jul 20 SC reserves verdict.
September 27 SC declines to refer the case to a five-judge Constitution bench. Case to be heard by a newly- constituted three-judge bench beginning October 29.
October 29 Supreme Court fixes the case for the first week of January before an appropriate bench, which will decide the schedule of hearing.
November 12 Supreme Court declines early hearing of petitions in the case requested by Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha.
November 22 Supreme Court dismisses PIL seeking direction to organisations and public at large to ‘behave’ and not air their views that can spoil the atmosphere until it decides the title dispute case.
December 24 Supreme Court decides to take up petitions on the case for hearing, January 4.
January 4, 2019 Supreme Court states that an appropriate bench constituted by it will pass order
January 10 for fixing the date of hearing in the main case.
January 8 Supreme Court sets up a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to hear the case. The others in the bench are Justices SA Bobde, NV Ramana, UU Lalit and DY Chandrachud.
January 10 Justice UU Lalit recuses himself prompting Supreme Court to reschedule the hearing for January 29 before a new bench.
January 25 Supreme Court reconstitutes five-member Constitution Bench to hear the case. The new bench comprises Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer. Both Justices UU Lalit and NV Ramana are not included.
January 27 Supreme Court cancels the January 29 hearing due to non-availability of Justice SA Bobde.
January 29 Centre moves Supreme Court seeking permission to return the 67-acre acquired land around the disputed site to original owners.
February 20 Supreme Court decides to hear the case February 26.
February 26 Supreme Court bench says it favours mediation, fixes March 5 for order on whether to refer the matter to a court-appointed mediator.
March 8 Supreme Court refers the dispute for mediation by a panel headed by former Supreme Court judge FMI Kallifulla.
May 10 Mediation team submits the final report to Supreme Court.
August 5 SC grants mediators more time.
August 6 SC begins day to day hearing
Oct 1 2019 SC says it wants to wind up hearing by October 18
October 14 Ahead of the Babri Masjid verdict, UP CM Yogi Aditynath imposes section 144 in Ayodhya till December 10.
October 16 Hearing ends, bench reserves verdict
November 8 CJI Ranjan Gogoi and other judges of the five-judge SC bench meet Chief Secretary of UP Government and DGP to discuss security arrangements.
November 9 SC starts delivering verdict in Ayodhya case
November 9 SC clears way for temple at disputed site, orders alternative land for mosque
PNN