Former Indian Assistant Secretary-General to the United Nations, Lakshmi Puri, appeared before the Delhi High Court on Wednesday and declined a settlement offer from Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale. The offer included no payment of ₹50 lakh in damages that were awarded to her in a defamation suit. Gokhale cited shortage of funds as the reason for the non-payment proposal.
During the hearing, Gokhale’s counsel urged the court to consider a “liberal approach” in the matter. His counsel argued:
“Ultimately, the cost he will have to pay if the order is not set aside is ₹50 lakh in decree as well as tendering the apology... He does not have the funds today. So if there is a possibility of settlement without any payment of any amount…”
However, this offer was firmly rejected by Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Lakshmi Puri.
The Court was hearing two applications filed by Gokhale—one seeking recall of the ex parte order passed on July 1, 2023, and another for condonation of delay in filing the recall application. The ex parte judgment had ordered Gokhale to pay ₹50 lakh in damages and publish an apology to Lakshmi Puri on his Twitter handle and in the Times of India newspaper, with the Twitter post to remain visible for six months.
Read also: Delhi High Court Judge Steps Aside from Nalin Kohli’s Defamation Case Against Dainik Bhaskar
Gokhale’s legal counsel submitted that the TMC leader could not appear before the court earlier due to multiple reasons. These included:
- His previous counsel stopped appearing in the matter after March 2022.
- No communication was received from his earlier counsel via WhatsApp or email.
- Gokhale was involved in multiple criminal proceedings in Gujarat, where he was required to appear twice a month.
- Due to the ongoing cases, he lost track of the defamation suit.
- There was no formal notice about the disengagement of his previous counsel.
- He assumed that the matter was being contested on his behalf and hence took no further steps.
- Additionally, his income tax records showed he was not in a financial position to hire a new advocate and file the recall application within the limitation period.
On the other side, Maninder Singh, appearing for Lakshmi Puri, opposed Gokhale’s pleas and said that all legal excuses presented by Gokhale were dated back to 2023. He argued:
“Gokhale is an internet-savvy individual, and the orders were available on the Delhi High Court website and could have been accessed by him.”
Singh further said that Gokhale was aware of the court proceedings and had been watching them via virtual hearing platforms. He emphasized that:
“Looking at the background and the facts, Gokhale does not deserve any indulgence.”
After hearing both parties, the Delhi High Court reserved its order on the recall application as well as on Gokhale’s plea to condone the delay in filing it.
Earlier in December 2024, Lakshmi Puri filed a contempt petition, stating that Gokhale had not complied with the court’s ruling from the previous year. She urged the court to execute the judgment, and Gokhale was directed to submit an affidavit disclosing all his assets, properties, and bank accounts. That matter remains pending before the coordinate bench.
Background of the Defamation Case
The defamation suit was initiated in 2021, after Gokhale made tweets referring to a property purchased by Lakshmi Puri in Switzerland. He raised allegations regarding the financial assets of her and her husband, Union Minister Hardeep Puri, and tagged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in those tweets, also calling for an Enforcement Directorate (ED) inquiry.
According to Puri, the tweets were:
“Maliciously motivated and designed accordingly, laced with canards and entail deliberate twisting of facts.”
A coordinate bench of the Delhi High Court had ruled in favour of Puri and found the tweets defamatory. In its ruling, the court directed:
- Gokhale must tender an apology in the Times of India.
- He must also post the apology on his Twitter account, where it must remain visible for a minimum of six months.
- He must pay ₹50 lakh in damages.
The Court, in its order, quoted from Shakespeare’s Othello to criticize the baseless nature of Gokhale’s allegations:
"Gokhale was making ‘roving allegations’ against Lakshmi Puri and her husband Hardeep Puri.”
In July 2021, while deciding on an interim injunction, the court had directed Gokhale to:
- Remove the defamatory tweets within 24 hours.
- Refrain from making any further defamatory posts about Puri.
Title: LAKSHMI MURDESHWAR PURI v. SAKET GOKHALE
