A 3 Judge Bench at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court today passed the verdict in the 60 year old Ayodhya title suit case. The Bench comprising of Justices S.U. Khan, Sudhir Agarwal and D.V. Sharma heard over 70 counsels in the case.

The main counsels in the title issue are advocate Zafaryab Jilani who is the lead counsel for the Sunni Board who has been fighting this legal battle since its inception and Mahant Bhaskar Das, who represents Nirmohi Akhada, the oldest petitioner in the title suit. Other big names who are involved in the suit at the Supreme Court are Senior Counsels Soli Sorabjee, Krishnan Venugopal among several others.

Senior Counsel and Constitutional expert, Rajeev Dhavan in an interview to NDTV elucidated the main legal issues before the court:

1) Whether the building had been constructed on the site of an alleged Hindu temple after demolishing the same?

2) Whether the building in question described as a mosque was a mosque as claimed by the plaintiffs?

3) Whether the building had been used by members of the Muslim community for offering prayers from times immemorial?

4) Whether the idols of Rama, Lakshman and Sita were placed inside by Hindu activists or appeared miraculously?

5) Have the Hindus been worshipping the place as Sri Ramjanmabhoomi and visiting it as a sacred place of pilgrimage since time immemorial?

6) Who owns the site? The Muslim community or has the Sunni Waqf Board lost the ownership of the site?

Dhavan also went on to say that the High Court can suspend the verdict till an appeal is filed in the Supreme Court and till that time, the land will lie in the custody of the apex court of the country.

The timeline that is available from various sources of the case covers the development of the case for over a century:

1885- Mahant Raghubar Das files a suit in the Court of the Sub-Judge, Faizabad, against the Secretary of State for India, seeking permission to construct a temple on the land adjoining the Babri mosque.

1949: Idols of Lord Ram appear inside the 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. This leads to the property going into the hands of the receiver, and a puja being conducted by a Hindu priest appointed by the receiver.

1950: Gopal Singh Visharad filed a suit in the Faizabad civil court seeking exclusive rights for performing puja for Lord Rama. He seeks a restraint order on the removal of idols on which the judge issued a temporary injunction. This order was later confirmed by a Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court.

1959- Suit filed by the Nirmohi Akhada, seeking transfer of charge of the disputed site from the receiver.

1961- Suit by the U.P. Sunni Central Board of Wakfs for the declaration and possession of the Babri site.

1964-All three suits filed by Hindus and the one filed by the Waqf Board are consolidated as suit No. 12/196, becoming the main case in the dispute.

1986-On a petition of one Hari Shanker Dubey, Faizabad Session Judge allows Hindus to worship at the site and the locks are re-opened. Muslims set up Babri Mosque Action Committee in protest. 

1989- VHP steps up campaign, laying the foundations of a Rama temple on the land adjacent to the disputed Mosque. Former VHP vice-president Justice Deoki Nandan Agarwal files a case, seeking the Mosque to be shifted elsewhere.

9 November, 1989- The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, allows ‘shilanyas’ or ground-breaking ceremony, at an undisputed site. 

1990- The then BJP president L.K. Advani launches a Rath Yatra to amass support for the construction of a temple at the disputed site.

6 December, 1992 - The mosque razed by a Hindu mob, resulting widespread clashes between Hindus and the Muslims in which more than 2,000 people lose their lives.

16 December 1992- M.S. Liberhan Commission headed by Justice Liberhan is constituted by the then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to investigate the circumstances that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid. 

1993 - President Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma sends a single-point reference under Article 143 to the Supreme Court to decide whether a Hindu temple existed in the area on which "the structure" stood.

1994 - The SC declines to answer the Presidential Reference and returns it. 

2002- The Allahabad High Court directs the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to excavate the site to determine if a temple lay underneath. ASI says there is evidence of a temple beneath the mosqu e, but Muslims dispute the findings.

April, 2002 - Arson attack on Ayodhya pilgrims in Godhra leaving 58 dead, spark clashes in Gujarat. This was followed by Allahabad High Court Bench who began hearing on title suit.

2003 - A court rules that seven Hindu leaders should stand trial for creating the destruction of the Babri Mosque, but no charges are brought against Advani, who was also at the site in 1992.

2004 - A court in Uttar Pradesh rules that Advani 's role in the destruction of the mosque should be reviewed.

July 2010 - High Court wraps up title suit hearing, verdict awaited.

23 September, 2010- A day ahead of the Allahabad High Court verdict, the Supreme Court stayed the judgment.

28 September, 2010 – Supreme Court rejects deferment plea and the judgment to be pronounced on September 30, 2010

While it is clear that today’s verdict is only the first step in this ongoing battle, all eyes will be on the Supreme Court next where an appeal is definitely expected to be filed against today’s verdict.

One can see the Ayodhya issue as a true test for the secular claims of this nation.