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Scroll.in
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
TMC MP Saket Gokhale publicly apologises to ex-diplomat, 10 months after Delhi HC order
Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Tuesday issued a public apology to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri in compliance with a July 2024 Delhi High Court order about a series of defamatory comments that he had posted on social media in 2021. In the apology, Gokhale said that a series of tweets that he put about Puri on June 13, 2021 and June 23, 2021 contained 'wrong and unverified allegations' about property that she had purchased. — Saket Gokhale MP (@SaketGokhale) June 9, 2025 In July 2024, the Delhi High Court ruled that Gokhale made 'incorrect, false and untrue' allegations about Puri, including claims that she had purchased property in Switzerland with disproportionate assets. Puri had sued Gokhale, alleging that his social media posts were 'defamatory, malicious and based on false information'. In its verdict, the court had ordered Gokhale to apologise in a leading English daily and on his X handle. He was also directed to pay Rs 50 lakh in damages. Gokhale subsequently sought to recall the July 2024 order, arguing that it was issued ex parte, or in his absence, after his counsel stopped appearing. Meanwhile, Puri approached the High Court to demand that the order be enforced. She also filed a contempt of court case against Gokhale for not complying with the order. In response, Gokhale's lawyer proposed submitting an apology in a sealed cover until his plea challenging the High Court's order was decided. However, Justice Anish Dayal on May 9 dismissed the request and ordered Gokhale to issue a public apology in two weeks – or by May 23. After repeated non compliance, on May 28, the court issued a show cause notice to Gokhale asking why he should not be sent to jail for failing to comply with its orders. 'If you don't publish then we will issue orders of detention,' the court had said. Puri, a former assistant secretary-general at the United Nations and wife of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, had filed the defamation case in 2021. She argued that her reputation was tarnished by Gokhale's 'reckless and false allegations' regarding an apartment in Geneva. Gokhale had questioned how Puri could afford the property on her income as a former Indian Foreign Service officer on deputation to the UN Conference on Trade and Development. He had also tagged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in his posts, calling for an Enforcement Directorate inquiry in the matter.
India Gazette
10-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
TMC MP Saket Gokhale issues public apology amid Delhi HC action on defamatory tweets
New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament Saket Gokhale on Tuesday publicly apologised to former diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri for a series of defamatory tweets posted in June 2021 regarding her property purchase abroad. In his statement, shared on his official X account, Gokhale expressed regret for making wrong and unverified allegations and acknowledged the harm caused by his remarks. 'I unconditionally apologise for having put-out a series of tweets against Amb. Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri on 13th and 23rd June 2021, which tweets contained wrong and unverified allegations in relation to the purchase of property by Amb. Puri abroad, which I sincerely regret'- Saket Gokhale stated Gokhale's apology follows a Delhi High Court order requiring him to publicly apologise to Ms Puri. The court also barred him from making further remarks against the former diplomat, the wife of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. His apology follows recent legal action by the Delhi High Court, which issued a notice directing him to explain why he should not face civil imprisonment for failing to comply with a previous court order requiring him to apologise and pay Rs 50 lakh in damages. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, presiding over the hearing of an execution petition filed by Puri, emphasised that despite multiple extensions, Gokhale had failed to honour the July 1, 2024, ruling and a subsequent directive on May 9, 2025. The High Court had previously ordered the attachment of Gokhale's Salary of Rs 1,90,000 per month until the full amount of Rs 50 lakh was paid. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Puri, argued that Gokhale had disregarded the judicial process and failed to disclose key directives to the court. (ANI)
NDTV
10-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Sincerely Regret": Trinamool MP's Public Apology To Minister's Wife
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale on Tuesday tendered an apology to former diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, wife of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, for a series of defamatory tweets posted in 2021 regarding her purchase of property abroad. The apology came after the Delhi High Court, in a July 2024 judgment, directed him to pay Rs 50 lakh in damages for making "wrong and unverified allegations". Taking to X, Mr Gokhale wrote, "I unconditionally apologise for having put out a series of tweets against Amb. Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri on 13th and 23rd June 2021, which tweets contained wrong and unverified allegations in relation to the purchase of property by Amb. Puri abroad, which I sincerely regret." The apology follows the court's directive that Mr Gokhale must publish an apology in a national newspaper and on social media within four weeks, and keep the apology tweet visible on his X account for a period of six months. The Delhi High Court had earlier noted that the defamatory statements caused "irreparable harm" to Lakshmi Puri's reputation and barred Mr Gokhale from posting any further defamatory content against her. The court had also ordered the attachment of Mr Gokhale's salary as a Member of Parliament until the Rs 50 lakh was deposited with the court registry. On May 28, the High Court questioned Mr Gokhale on why he should not be sent to civil prison for failing to comply with the earlier order regarding damages payment. The defamation suit stemmed from a series of posts made by Mr Gokhale in June 2021, in which he accused Lakshmi Puri of acquiring property in Switzerland disproportionate to her known sources of income. He also mentioned Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in the posts, prompting legal action from the former diplomat. The court's July 2024 judgment concluded that the statements made by Mr Gokhale were defamatory and awarded Rs 50 lakh in damages to the plaintiff. It also directed Mr Gokhale to disclose all his assets, properties, bank accounts, and deposits in an affidavit within four weeks after the contempt proceedings began in December last year. The court held the Trinamool leader's actions as "wilful and deliberate non-compliance" of the judgment. A fresh blow came for Gokhale on May 2 this year when Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav rejected his plea seeking a recall of the July 2024 order, thereby upholding the original decision.
India Gazette
10-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
TMC MP Saket Gokhale extends apology to Ambassador Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri for labelling
New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale on Tuesday extended an apology for 'having put out a series of tweets against Ambassador Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri on June 13 and 23, 2021.' The TMC MP in a post on X clarified that his 'tweets' contained wrong and unverified allegations in relation to the purchase of property by Ambassador Puri abroad. 'I unconditionally apologise for having put out a series of tweets against Amb. Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri on 13th and 23rd June 2021, which tweets contained wrong and unverified allegations in relation to the purchase of property by Ambassador Puri abroad, which I sincerely regret,' the Rajya Sabha member said. This came after the Delhi High Court issued a notice to Trinamool Congress leader (TMC) and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, Saket Gokhale, directing him to explain why he should not face civil imprisonment for failing to apologise to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri over defamatory social media posts. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora presided over the hearing of an execution petition filed by Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, seeking enforcement of the final judgment and decree dated July 1, 2024. The ruling had mandated Gokhale to pay Rs 50 lakh in damages within eight weeks and publish a public apology both in a newspaper and on his X (formerly Twitter) account within four weeks. On April 24, 2025, the High Court had ordered the attachment of Gokhale's salary, amounting to Rs 1,90,000 per month, until the full decretal sum of Rs 50 lakh was realised. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Lakshmi Puri, highlighted that a coordinate bench hearing a contempt petition had, on May 9, 2025, directed Gokhale to issue the apology within two weeks as per the decree. Singh pointed out that this directive had neither been disclosed to the current Court nor challenged through an appeal, and more significantly, it had not been complied with. After hearing submissions from both sides, including arguments from Gokhale's Counsel, Naman Joshi, the Court noted that the Judgment Debtor appeared to be disregarding its directives and judicial process. The Court observed that despite granting additional time for compliance, Gokhale had failed to adhere to the decree dated July 1, 2024, as well as the subsequent order issued on May 9, 2025. In response, the Court issued a show-cause notice to Gokhale, requiring him to explain why he should not be sent to civil imprisonment. The Court further directed him to file a reply within a week. Lakshmi Puri was represented by Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, briefed by Karanjawala & Company. (ANI)
NDTV
10-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Trinamool MP Saket Gokhale's Public Apology In Defamation Case By Laxmi Puri
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale, as directed by the Delhi High Court, has issued an unconditional apology to former diplomat Laxmi Puri, wife of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, over defamatory posts. The High Court had directed Mr Gokhale to pay Rs 50 lakh as damages to the former diplomat for alleged defamation and publish an apology. Mr Gokhale wrote on the social media platform X that on June 13 and 23, 2021, he had accused Ms Puri of buying property abroad without proof, for which he apologises. A single bench of the Delhi High Court had directed Mr Gokhale to issue a public apology and pay a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to Laxmi Puri. The court had also barred Mr Gokhale from making any further defamatory remarks and warned of civil detention for disobeying the orders. Mr Gokhale issued this public apology after the court found he had not complied with the July 2024 decision and the deadline given in May 2025. In the last hearing, Mr Gokhale had told the court that he would publish an apology as directed by the single judge. Lakshmi Puri has filed a contempt petition against Saket Gokhale for not complying with the July 1 order, which is pending before another bench. During the hearing of the case, senior advocate Amit Sibal, appearing for Saket Gokhale, had said that the comments made on Twitter come under justified and democratic criticism. He had said that Mr Goakhle did not even name the defendant in the tweets nor did he accuse of any corruption. Earlier, the High Court had rejected the review petition filed by Saket Gokhale. Mr Gokhale had requested the court to withdraw the order of paying Rs 50 lakh as compensation and apologising against him. Earlier, Lakshmi Puri had rejected Mr Gokhale's proposal in which he had offered not to pay the compensation citing financial difficulties. Recently, the Delhi High Court, in a setback to Saket Gokhale, ordered to confiscate his salary. The court had said that no proper explanation was given for not depositing the decretal amount. Warrants of attachment should be issued as per Section 60 (I) Civil Procedure Code (CPC) regarding the salary, which is said to be Rs 1.9 lakh per month. The court had directed that the salary will remain confiscated until the amount of Rs 50 lakh is deposited in the court. The lawyer appearing on behalf of Laxmi Puri had said that by decree the judgment debtor has been directed to publish an apology and pay Rs 50 lakh by August 27, 2024. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Laxmi Puri, had said that we will file an application under Order 21 Rule 41 (3), which states that if the affidavit is not filed as per the court's instructions, then there is a jail sentence of three months. The court observed Section 60 of the Civil Procedure Code for attachment of Mr Gokhale's salary. The court had said that we can attach up to two-thirds of the salary as per the CIC. On July 1 last year, the court had asked Mr Gokhale to apologise on social media within four weeks and pay Ms Puri Rs 50 lakh as compensation. When that order was not implemented, Ms Puri filed a petition demanding implementation of the order.
