Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, who led the commission investigating the Babri Masjid demolition, has passed away at 87. His distinguished career included serving as Chief Justice of the Madras and Andhra Pradesh High Courts, and a long tenure at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to consider a batch of contempt petitions alleging that demolitions were carried out in violation of its 2024 judgment and asked aggrieved parties to approach the high courts concerned.
The Supreme Court of India has directed Uttar Pradesh authorities to respond to contempt proceedings for allegedly razing a portion of a mosque in Kushinagar, defying a previous court order. The court has also ordered a halt to any further demolition of the structure. The demolition was carried out despite a November 2024 Supreme Court ruling that barred demolition without a prior show cause notice and a 15-day response period. The petitioners allege the demolition was carried out in violation of legal process and the Supreme Court's guidelines, as well as without providing an opportunity for a hearing.
Here are the key figures among the 32 accused in the Babri mosque demolition case who were on Wednesday acquitted by a special CBI court in Lucknow of all charges.
A Pakistan-backed ISI-underworld terror module, busted by Delhi Police, had planned to attack policemen and security forces in Mumbai to avenge the demolition of an illegal mosque in Garib Nagar, Bandra.
Mumbai police have arrested sixteen people and are seeking over 150 more in connection with stone pelting incidents that occurred during a demolition drive near Bandra station. The demolition aimed to clear encroached land for railway infrastructure upgrades.
Violence erupted during an anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan area early Wednesday, with some people pelting stones at police personnel, leaving five of them injured.
A demolition drive targeting an allegedly illegal mosque in Mumbai's Bandra East area led to clashes between residents and police, resulting in injuries and detentions.
Both Hindu and Muslim parties involved in the Gyanvapi dispute have rejected the Supreme Court's mediation initiative, stating that the matter should be resolved through judicial adjudication. This decision came during a session at a Varanasi court, where both sides expressed their preference for a court verdict over an out-of-court settlement.
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, prohibits only the conversion of religious character but does not prevent the state from acquiring such properties for secular and public purposes. This observation came while dismissing a petition challenging the widening and beautification of the Dalmandi area in Varanasi for the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor, which involved the proposed demolition of six ancient mosques.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) announced a nationwide movement against the 'deteriorating condition' and social and political marginalisation of Muslims in India, citing concerns over mob violence, demolition drives, and attempts to impose Vande Mataram.
Following is the chronology of events in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.
The Supreme Court has ruled that cryptic bail orders need not be revisited, asserting that a person's liberty hinges on the prosecution's case rather than judicial inaccuracies. This observation came while rejecting the Uttarakhand government's appeal against bail granted to Abdul Malik in the Banbhoolpura violence case, with the court also questioning the invocation of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Sunday said that he felt the demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992 had 'badly dented' the credibility of his party.
Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir has initiated the construction of a mosque modeled after the Babri Masjid in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, sparking political reactions and debate.
A demolition drive targeting an alleged illegal religious structure in a Mumbai slum led to clashes between residents and police, resulting in injuries and detentions.
An anti-encroachment drive in Mumbai's Bandra area turned violent after authorities demolished an alleged illegal religious structure, leading to stone-pelting by residents and a police lathi-charge.
The district court in Shimla on Thursday upheld the municipal commissioner court's decision to demolish the entire structure of Sanjauli mosque, rejecting a plea by the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board and the Sanjauli Mosque Committee.
Shuttered shops, overturned scooters, broken tiles and stones marked the narrow lanes near the Turkman Gate area in New Delhi on Wednesday, as the locality remained tense and under heavy security following violence during an anti-encroachment drive.
In Ayodhya, the scene of demolition of the mosque that triggered communal riots across the country leaving nearly 2,000 people dead, no untoward incident was reported by the police so far.\n\n\n\n
Kabir cut a ceremonial ribbon alongside visiting clerics on the dais as slogans of "Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar" were raised at the venue, where thousands had gathered since morning.
Hindu outfits that took out a march in Kullu demanding the demolition of the mosque were involved in a scuffle with the police on Monday.
The demolition started with the removal of the roof amid tight police security, Latif told the PTI on Monday evening.
One would not normally associate a love story with the Babri Masjid demolition, but National Award-winning novelist Aabid Surti's latest offering does just that.
Posters announcing plans for an Ayodhya-style Ram temple complex in Salt Lake have appeared, escalating the political duel between religious groups ahead of the Bengal assembly polls. The proposed complex includes a school, hospital, and old-age home.
Donation boxes kept for the proposed Babri masjid-style mosque by suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir in West Bengal's Murshidabad district are nearly full, with cash-counting machines whirring through the night as donations continue to pour in both physically and online.
The only thing that might make the BJP stop trying to isolate Muslims completely will be if substantial numbers of the community vote for the party that flaunts its animosity towards it, notes Jyoti Punwani.
According to police, rumours claiming the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was demolishing the mosque spread primarily through voice notes shared across community, religious and neighbourhood WhatsApp groups ahead of a court-ordered anti-encroachment drive.
Delhi Municipal Corporation officials, supported by police, conducted a demolition drive on encroached land near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque at Turkman Gate, following a Delhi High Court order. The operation targeted a banquet hall and a dispensary.
Governor C V Ananda Bose, meanwhile, urged citizens not to be swayed by "provocative statements and rumours" and asked the state to ensure there was 'no disturbance anywhere'.
Authorities have demolished a 128-year-old mosque in Assam's Dibrugarh to construct a drainage system for solving the waterlogging problem in the town, officials said on Thursday.
A section of residents of Sanjauli and Hindu outfits had launched an agitation to press for the demolition of the mosque, claiming that it was unauthorised but no action was taken by the Corporation during the past 15 years.
Suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir asserts he will be a 'kingmaker' after the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections, claiming no government can be formed without his support. He plans to announce a new political party on December 22 and contest in 135 seats.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said he was betrayed by the BJP-RSS leadership.
Tension gripped Sihora town in Jabalpur district after a communal clash involving stone-pelting and vandalism, leading to police intervention and multiple arrests.
The Delhi High Court has set aside the bail granted to an accused allegedly involved in stone-pelting during a demolition exercise near a mosque in Turkman Gate. The matter has been remanded to the trial court for reconsideration.
A group allegedly protested and clashed with police during an anti-encroachment drive near a mosque in Delhi, resulting in injuries and detentions.
A legend that sprang up after the Turkman Gate killing is that when the shrine is disturbed, the government will fall, as it happened with the Indira Gandhi government.
Top BJP leaders hailed the special CBI court order acquitting all the accused and described it as a victory of truth and justice.
The verdict by a special court in the Babri Masjid demolition case comes 28 years after kar sevaks razed the 16th century mosque and almost a year after the Supreme Court settled the land case in favour of a Ram temple at the disputed Ayodhya site.
