Rahul Gandhi defamation case chronology
New Delhi, Aug 4: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his Modi surname remark, paving the way for the revival of his Lok Sabha membership.
Following is the timeline of the case:
* April 13, 2019: At an election rally at Kolar in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi says, "Why do 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 the remark.
* July 7, 2019: Rahul Gandhi's first appearance before Surat metropolitan court in the case.
* March 23, 2023: Surat metropolitan court sentences Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail after holding him guilty for defamation.
* March 24, 2023: Rahul Gandhi disqualified as a Member of Parliament as a result of being convicted and awarded two-year jail term.
* 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 conviction.
* April 25, 2023: Rahul Gandhi files revision appeal before High Court against lower court order.
* July 7, 2023: Gujarat HC dismisses Rahul Gandhi's plea seeking a stay on his conviction.
* July 15, 2023: Rahul Gandhi moves SC challenging Gujarat HC's order, says if not stayed the verdict would throttle free speech.
* July 21, 2023: SC issues notice to Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi and the state government on Rahul Gandhi's appeal challenging the high court verdict that declined to put on hold his conviction.
* Aug 4, 2023: SC stays Rahul Gandhi's conviction, paving the way for the revival of his Lok Sabha membership.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
