The Delhi High Court on
Monday directed Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale to pay Rs 50 lakh in
damages to former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Lakshmi Puri, in a
defamation suit filed by her. The court also mandated Gokhale to issue a public
apology in The Times of India and on his X (formerly Twitter) account, which
must remain posted for six months.
The suit stems from a
series of defamatory tweets by Gokhale, where he questioned Puri's integrity.
The tweets accused Puri
and her husband, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh
Puri, of purchasing a house in Geneva, Switzerland, using ‘black money’ in
2006. These allegations led Puri to seek legal redress in 2021, claiming the
tweets tarnished her reputation and caused irreparable harm.
The
lawsuit was filed by Karanjawala & Co on behalf of Lakshmi Puri. Senior
Advocate Maninder Singh (former ASG) represented Puri, supported by a team from
Karanjawala & Company including Meghna Mishra, Tarun Sharma, Palak Sharma,
and Shreyansh Rathi.
Puri’s
petition highlighted that Gokhale made the defamatory tweets on June 13 and
June 23, 2021, alleging that Puri and her husband, Union Minister Hardeep Singh
Puri, used illicit funds to purchase property in Geneva. Puri sought Rs 5 crore
in damages for these libellous statements.