Lakshmi Puri Defamation Case: Delhi HC directs TMC's Saket Gokhale to publish apology within a week

New Delhi [India], May 9 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Friday directed Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale to publish a public apology within a week to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri, as per the court's previous judgment on July 1, 2024.
This decision comes after Lakshmi Puri filed a contempt petition against Gokhale for failing to comply with the court's orders.
Lakshmi Puri filed a defamation suit against Saket Gokhale in 2021 after he published tweets questioning her property purchase in Switzerland, raising concerns about her and her husband, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's, assets.
The Delhi High Court deemed Gokhale's tweets defamatory, citing Shakespeare's Othello to emphasise the damage inflicted on Puri's reputation.
Saket Gokhale appeared before the Delhi High Court on February 28 and April 15, 2025, in compliance with orders issued in the contempt petition.
After reviewing submissions, Justice Anish Dayal directed Gokhale to pay Rs 50 lakh in damages to Lakshmi Puri, issue an unconditional public apology on his X handle, to remain visible for six months, publish the apology prominently in a national daily newspaper, specifically The Times of India and refrain from making any further defamatory statements against Puri on any platform
Additionally, regarding the Rs 50 lakh damages, a coordinate bench led by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora had already ordered the attachment of Gokhale's salary on April 24, 2025.
The Court further directed that arguments on the issue of wilful noncompliance would be considered on the next hearing date, which is 12.09.2025.
Gokhale failed to comply with the court's previous judgment, leading to a contempt petition filed by Lakshmi Puri.
Recently, another bench of the Delhi High Court dismissed applications filed by Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale, who sought to recall an order directing him to pay Rs50 lakh in damages and publicly apologise to Lakshmi Puri, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, in a defamation case.
Another bench of the Delhi High Court also issued an order attaching a portion of Saket Gokhale's salary, a Member of Parliament from the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The court directed that the salary will remain under attachment until a total sum of Rs 50 lakh is deposited in the court.
The defamation case originated in 2021 after Gokhale published a series of tweets questioning Puri's property purchase in Switzerland. His posts raised concerns regarding her and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's assets.
Additionally, Gokhale tagged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in his tweets, calling for an ED investigation. In its July 2023 ruling, the High Court deemed the tweets defamatory, citing Shakespeare's Othello to emphasise the damage inflicted on Puri's reputation.
Earlier, in July 2021, the court had issued an interim injunction, mandating Gokhale to remove the tweets within 24 hours and barring him from making further defamatory statements. However, Gokhale failed to comply with the court's previous judgment, leading to a contempt petition filed by Lakshmi Puri. (ANI)