Courts Get Involved
1885: Courts get involved for the first time in 1885 as Mahant Raghubir Das files plea in Faizabad district court seeking permission to build a canopy of Ram Chabootra on the site of Ram JanmaBhoomi. The Faizabad district court rejected this plea.
The First Controversy
1949: The first big controversy in the Ayodhya conflict came up in 1949 when Idol of Lord Ram was allegedly placed inside the temple by Hindu activist and a message was spread that Lord Ram had miraculously appeared inside the Mosque. There was a protest from the Muslim side. Both Hindus and Muslims filed a civil suit each in the court. The government had to declare the premises as 'disputed area' and lock the gates until further notice. The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru asked that the idols be removed immediately but the local officer K. K. K Nair refused to carry out the orders stating that it doing so would lead to communal riots.
1950: Suit was filed in the court by the Hindu side seeking permission for the right to worship the idols in the premises. The court held back the removal of the idols and allowed the Hindus to worship.
Third-Party Enters Fray
1959: Nirmohi Akhara comes into the fray and stakes claim to the site. Nirmohi Akhara files suit claiming to be the custodians of the spot at which Lord Ram was supposedly born.
1961: Sunni Waqfs Board (central) moved to court against the 'forcefull' idol installation and seeking possession of the Mosque.
The three concerned parties
