Trinamool Leader Fails To Comply With Defamation Ruling, Minister's Wife Moves Court

Former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Lakshmi Puri moved the Delhi High Court against Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale after he failed to comply with a ruling mandating him to apologise on social media and pay her Rs 50 lakh in damages in a defamation suit.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora issued notice in Ms Puri's plea, seeking execution of a judgment passed on July 1.

The case involved Mr Gokhale's defamatory tweets or posts regarding Ms Puri's integrity. While passing the judgment, the court had said, "The plaintiff has suffered irreparable harm on account of Defendant No. 1, i.e., Saket Gokhale's defamatory statements and is directed to give an apology to the plaintiff, which shall be published on Defendant No. 1's X account and in Times of India."

"Gokhale is restrained from publishing further defamatory content against the plaintiff. Damages to the tune of Rs 50,00,000 are awarded to the plaintiff for the harm caused to her reputation," the court added while passing judgment on the matter in July. It further mandated that the apology twet would remain on Mr Gokhale's X account for six months.

As per the petition, Mr Gokhale had in June 2021 alleged that Ms Puri, the wife of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, had purchased a property in Switzerland the cost of which was disproportionate to her income with "black money".

The court has scheduled the next hearing for February 5, 2025.