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The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani and 19 others on an application moved in connection with the dropping of conspiracy charges and the fairness of the CBI probe into the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.

A bench led by CJI H.L.Dattu issued notice to Mr. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh among others and directed them to reply in four weeks.

The interim application by Haji Mahboob, whose house was ransacked after the demolition, cast doubts about the efficacy of the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the conspiracy angle, especially with the party in power being associated with the accused.

It alleged that the CBI is controlled by the Home Ministry under Rajnath Singh while Mr. Kalyan Singh is Governor of Rajasthan.

The case timeline

• ›1949: Idols of Ram Lalla are placed surreptitiously under the central dome.


• › 1950: Gopal Simla Visharad files first suit in Faizabad civil court for rights to perform pooja to Ram Lalla.


• › 1950: Paramahansa Ramachandra Das files a suit for continuation of pooja and keeping idols in the structure.


• › 1959: Nirmohi Akhara files third suit, seeking direction to hand over charge of the disputed site. U.P. Sunni Central Wakf Board files fourth suit in 1961 for declaration and possession and fifth in 1989 in the name of Ram Lalla Virajman for declaration and possession.


• › 1986: District judge orderes locks be removed. Site opened for Hindu worshippers.


• › 1989: The four suits pending were transferred to the High Court.


• › 1991: U.P. govt. acquires land around the structure for convenience of devotees who attend Ram Lalla darshan.


• › 1993: Govt. takes over 67 acres of land around the area, seeks SC’s opinion on whether there existed a Hindu place of worship before the structure was built.


• › 1994: Case goes back to Lucknow Bench of HC, suits heard again from 1996.


• › 2002: High Court orders a survey by the Archaeological Survey of India to find out whether a temple existed below the mosque or not.


• › 2010: Court awards two-thirds of Ayodhya site to Hindu parties, one-third to Waqf Board.