Delhi HC orders TMC MP Saket Gokhale to pay Rs 50 lakh in defamation case

Delhi HC orders TMC MP Saket Gokhale to pay Rs 50 lakh in defamation case

The Delhi High Court on July 1 directed Trinamool Congress leader (TMC) and Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale to pay Rs 50 lakh in damages in a defamation case filed by former diplomat Lakshmi Puri.

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani issued the order and instructed Gokhale to publish an apology in The Times of India and on his X handle. The court mandated compliance within eight weeks.

Lakshmi Puri, the wife of Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, sued Gokhale after he alleged she had purchased property in Switzerland disproportionate to her income.

In July 2021, the court had issued an interim order directing Gokhale to remove the allegedly defamatory tweets and refrain from posting further defamatory content against the Puris.

Puri claimed Gokhale's tweets were defamatory, malicious, and based on false information, arguing that he falsely asserted her income could only have been Rs 10-12 lakh while she was on deputation from the Government of India to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Senior Advocate Maninder Singh represented Lakshmi Puri, with a team from Karanjawala & Company comprising Meghna Mishra (Senior Partner), Tarun Sharma, Palak Sharma, and Shreyansh Rathi, Advocates.