Ahmedabad: Following is the timeline of the criminal defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his 'Modi surname' remark, in which the Gujarat High Court on Friday dismissed his plea seeking a stay on his conviction.
- April 13, 2019: Rahul Gandhi says at an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka, "Why all the thieves, be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi, have Modi as the common surname?"
- April 15, 2019: BJP MLA from Surat Purnesh Modi files criminal defamation suit against Rahul Gandhi for his remark.
- July 7, 2019: Rahul Gandhi appears for the first time before Surat metropolitan court.
- March 23, 2023: Surat metropolitan court sentences Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail after holding him guilty over his 'Modi surname' remark.
- March 24, 2023: Rahul Gandhi disqualified as a Member of Parliament.
- April 2, 2023: Rahul Gandhi challenges the metropolitan court's order in a sessions court in Surat, which is still pending, along with an application seeking a stay to the conviction.
- April 20, 2023: Surat sessions court grants him bail but refuses to stay the conviction.
- April 25, 2023: Rahul Gandhi files revision appeal before High Court against lower court order.
- July 7, 2023: The Gujarat High Court dismisses Rahul Gandhi's plea seeking a stay on his conviction.
