Following is the chronology of events in Lakhubhai Pathak cheating case in which a Delhi court on Monday acquitted former prime minister Narasimha Rao, godman Chandraswami and his close aide K N Agarwal alias Mamaji.

December 1983: Alleged meeting between Pathak, a UK-based pickle tycoon, Rao and Chandraswami at Hotel Holorum in New York where Rao is said to have promised Pathak, a contract for supply of newsprint and paper pulp in India.

January 4, 1984: Pathak allegedly pays US $100,000 to Chandraswami by two cheques of US $27,000 and US $73,000.

September 25, 1987: Pathak lodges complaint.

February 5, 1988: CBI registers FIR.

June 21, 1991: Narasimha Rao becomes Prime Minister.

April 12, 1996: Charge sheet filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Prem Kumar against Chandraswami and Mamaji accusing them of conspiracy to cheat Pathak.

May 16: Rao ceases to be Prime Minister.

May 21: CMM frames charges against Chandraswami and Mamaji.

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July 5: Pathak, for the first time, names Rao as an accused and discloses the former PM's alleged assurance that led him to pay US $100,000 to Chandraswami.

July 9: CMM finds enough grounds to proceed against Rao as accused in the case.

July 30, 1996: Delhi High Court upholds the CMM's order.

August 23: Supreme Court directs transfer of the case to another court following a Special Leave Petition filed by Rao.

September 21: Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke summons Rao.

September 30: Supreme Court exempts Rao from personal appearance till further orders following a petition filed by Delhi Police and the SPG seeking change of venue.

November 6: Charges framed against all three accused.

April 1, 1997: 73-year-old Pathak passes away.

May 2, 2000: Prosecution completes evidence.

May 24: Statement of accused recorded.

July 7: Defence evidence commences.

January 14, 2002: Special Judge R K Gauba closes opportunity for defence to produce evidence.

November 1, 2003: In the first video-conferencing to record evidence of a foreign witness, California State Assembly member Marvyn M Dymally deposes before a Delhi Court from the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.

November 21: Final arguments begin in the case.

December 2: Judgment reserved for December 22.

December 22: Special Judge Dinesh Dayal acquits Rao, Chandraswami and Mamaji. The Central Bureau of Investigation had charged them with conspiring at a hotel in New York to cheat late UK-based pickle tycoon Pathak of $100,000 by promising to procure him a contract for supply of newsprint and paper pulp in India.