TIME LINE

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Wednesday quashed five sedition cases filed against the Times Of India's Ahmedabad edition in early June 2008 by the then police commissioner O P Mathur . The court said there was no case even for defamation.The cases had been filed after a series of investigative reports had exposed Mathur's dubious background and questioned if Ahmedabad was safe in his hands as police commissioner. The TOI had said that the Narendra Modi government, particularly the then Minister of State (MoS) for home Amit Shah , rewarded Mathur for botching up the Sohrabuddin fake encounter probe.A little more than a month later, terrorists had killed 57 people in the city by triggering serial bomb blasts on July 26, 2008.Post-retirement, the state government has again rewarded Mathur by appointing him as director general of Raksha Shakti University . Shah was arrested by the CBI in the Sohrabuddin case and has been restrained from entering Gujarat.Nov 26 '05 : Gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh is killed in a fake encounter by Gujarat police June 13 '06 : Preliminary inquiry begins on SC's ordersFeb 3 '07 : Addl. DGP O P Mathur is appointed CID chief overnight after his predecessor G C Raiger refused to follow political orders to derail encounter probeMar 9 '07 : DIG Rajnish Rai takes over investigationApr 24 '07: Rai arrests DIG D G Vanzara and SP's Rajkumar Pandian and Dinesh MNMay 3 '07 : Rai removed from probe and Geetha Johri comes back as investigating officer on SC's intervention.May 8 '07 : Rai writes to Johri requesting her to collect a CD containing phone records of businessmen, politicians and police officers involved in the nexus to kill Sohrabuddin. Rai states the CD was handed over to Mathur.Dec 1 '07 : Sonia Gandhi calls Modi 'Maut ka Saudagar' during Gujarat asembly poll campaign, a direct reference to fake encounter kilingsDec 23 '07 : Modi makes Sohrabuddin and the 'Maut ka Saudagar' comment his main targets and wins the polls. Gets dubbed as 'Vota ka Saudagar'.May 20 '08 : Mathur appointed Ahmedabad police commissioner : the No. 2 posting in order of importance in Gujarat police.May 27:June 1 '08: TOI carries investigative reports on Mathur's dubious background and questions if Ahmedabad was safe in his hands. We clearly state that he has been rewarded for derailing the Sohrabudin probe. Opinion polls go completely against Mathur.June 1 ' 08 : Mathur lodges first FIR against TOI for sedition. In all 19 cases are filed. Sedition case is slapped with oral consent of the chief minister and home minister Narendra Modi and MoS for home Amit Shah.June 5 '08 : A vacation judge of the Gujarat high court grants anticipatory bail to the resident editor and correspondent of TOI, Ahmedabad.June 16 '08: TOI moves Gujarat high court to quash the sedition chargeJune 17 '08: Gujarat high court directs government to halt investigation.July 26 '08: Terrorists kill 57 in serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad. Mathur was city police chief.Feb 19 '09 : Mathur promoted to DGP rankMar 31 '09 : Mathur retires as Centre declines state's request for extensionAug 26, 2009 : Modi appoints Mathur as director general of Raksha Shakti University. He still works there, drawing a salary of Rs 80,000 and all perks and privileges enjoyed by a DGP.Sep 5 '09 : Trial court orders further probe into the encounter on ground of the disappearance of the damning CD.Jan 12 '10 : Supreme Court slams Geetha Johri's investigation in Sohrabuddin case, transfers probe to CBI.Jul 25 '10 : MoS for home Amit Shah, who set out to arrest TOI journalists, is himself arrested in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.Aug 5 ' 10 : Mathur is questioned for nine hours by CBI in the Sohrabuddin caseOct 29 '10 : Gujarat high court grants bail to Amit ShahOct 30, '10 : Supreme Court orders Amit Shah to stay out of Gujarat. He hasn't visited Gujarat since.Apr 15, 11 : Rai moves CAT and accuses Mathur of victimization. Also accuses him of shielding the culprits in Sohrabuddin case.Apr 10:12 '12 : Final arguments in the sedition casesApr 18 '12 : Gujarat high court quashes sedition case against TOI, Ahmedabad