The Delhi High Court has firmly directed Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale to issue a public apology to Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. The direction follows his failure to comply with a previous court order that ruled in Puri's favor in a defamation lawsuit.
On May 9, 2025, Justice Anish Dayal, while presiding over the contempt case, rejected Gokhale’s proposal to submit the apology in a sealed cover. The Court instructed that the apology must be made public within two weeks, as originally decreed by a coordinate bench on July 1, 2024.
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“The proposal of placing the apology in a sealed cover is rejected, and the apology as directed by the judgment/decree shall be published within the next two weeks,” the Court said.
The original defamation suit stemmed from tweets by Gokhale in which he raised questions about a property in Switzerland reportedly owned by Lakshmi Puri and her husband, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. He also tagged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seeking an Enforcement Directorate probe. Puri’s suit alleged the tweets were false, malicious, and deliberately misleading.
In July 2021, during the interim stage, the court directed Gokhale to take down the defamatory tweets within 24 hours and restrained him from making further defamatory statements. In July 2024, the court ruled in Puri’s favor and ordered Gokhale to:
- Publish an apology in the Times of India.
- Share the apology on his Twitter account for six months.
- Pay ₹50 lakh in damages to Puri.
Despite this ruling, Gokhale did not comply within the statutory period. His attempt to challenge the order by filing an application under Order IX Rule 13 of the Civil Procedure Code was dismissed on May 2, 2025.
“Considering that the decree was passed in July 2024, no challenge was preferred in the statutory period… the respondent has simply tarried, lingered, and procrastinated,” Justice Dayal observed.
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During the hearing, Gokhale’s counsel informed the court that while they were in the process of filing an appeal, the period for filing had not yet expired. They offered to submit the apology in a sealed cover, subject to the outcome of the appeal. However, this proposal was rejected by the Court.
“There is no reason why the Court should take the apology in a sealed cover and then wait for the result of an appeal,” the Court stated firmly.
Additionally, while an order for attachment of Gokhale’s salary was passed to secure the damages, the petitioner’s counsel argued that multiple bank accounts had not been disclosed and full compliance had not occurred.
The Court took strong note of Gokhale’s conduct, remarking:
“The respondent is a Parliamentarian and a reputed member of society. More than ten months have passed and till date there is no order that would impede the compliance of the judgment.”
The matter will next be heard on September 12, 2025, to consider further aspects of Gokhale’s non-compliance. The Court made it clear that failure to adhere to its directions will be taken seriously.
Counsel for Petitioner: Mr. Maninder Singh, Sr. Adv. with Ms. Meghna Mishra, Ms. Palak Sharma, Mr. Shreyansh Rathi, Mr. R. Mohan and Mr. Amarpal Singh, Advs
Counsel for Respondent: Mr. Amarjit Singh Bedi and Mr. Harsha Vinoy, Advs
Title: LAKSHMI MURDESHWAR PURI v. SAKET GOKHALE
