Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale has informed the Delhi High Court that he will issue an apology to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri for posting defamatory tweets. However, he has also filed an appeal challenging the single-judge order that directed him to pay ₹50 lakh in damages.
A division bench comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Renu Bhatnagar took note of Gokhale’s statement that he will comply with the directive to publish the apology, even as his appeal against the defamation ruling proceeds. The matter is now listed for further hearing on July 8.
Gokhale’s Defence
Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, appearing for Gokhale, argued that the tweets constituted fair comment and did not name Lakshmi Puri or directly accuse anyone of corruption. He also contended that the judgment was passed without the plaintiff leading any evidence and sought to publish the apology without prejudice to the outcome of his appeal.
However, the bench declined to record that submission formally in its order, observing that Gokhale had approached the court only on the last working day before the court’s summer vacation.
Plaintiff’s Position
Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Lakshmi Puri, maintained that the apology must be issued without further delay. While he agreed not to press for the damages award at this stage, he insisted on the publication of the apology.
“Let him apologize,” Singh told the bench.
Gokhale confirmed he would publish an unconditional apology, leading the Court to remark,
“Mr Maninder Singh, have the apology. As far as damages is concerned, don’t press for it.”
Background
The Delhi High Court, in a July 2024 judgment by Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, had ruled that Gokhale’s tweets were defamatory, false, and malicious, and ordered him to pay ₹50 lakh in damages to Puri. The court further directed him to publish an apology in the Times of India and on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.
Puri, a former UN diplomat and wife of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, filed the defamation suit after Gokhale alleged that she owned a property in Switzerland disproportionate to her income. She contended that Gokhale misrepresented her income and deliberately spread misinformation to malign her and her husband, a serving Cabinet minister.
In a strongly worded judgment, the Court said:
“Messages on social media generate a social-media chain reaction… no less dangerous in today’s milieu than a nuclear reaction gone out of control.”
The Court further noted that Gokhale’s real target was likely her husband, and the issue was revived purely for political reasons.
Enforcement & Contempt Proceedings
Following the original order, Lakshmi Puri filed petitions for execution of the damages award and for contempt of court over Gokhale’s failure to comply. A bench hearing the contempt matter recently rejected Gokhale’s offer to submit the apology in a sealed cover and ordered him to publish it within two weeks.
In a separate order on May 28, the Court also asked Gokhale to show cause as to why he should not be sent to civil prison for non-compliance. A portion of his Rajya Sabha salary has already been attached in the execution proceedings.
