Delhi High Court Orders Salary Attachment for MP Saket Gokhale Amid Defamation Case

The Delhi High Court has ordered a portion of the MP Saket Gokhale's salary to be attached until he deposits Rs 50 lakh, following a defamation suit by former diplomat Lakshmi Puri. The court issued the order due to Gokhale's non-compliance with previous rulings, demanding an apology and damages.

The Delhi High Court has issued an order attaching a portion of the salary of Saket Gokhale, a Member of Parliament from the Trinamool Congress, in an ongoing defamation case. This attachment will continue until Gokhale deposits a total of Rs 50 lakh in court.

This move comes as a response to a petition by former diplomat Lakshmi Puri, who accused Gokhale of not adhering to court orders from a July 2023 ruling. The court had instructed Gokhale to apologize to Puri and pay Rs 50 lakh in damages after it found his tweets defamatory.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Arora's bench noted the absence of a reasonable explanation for Gokhale's non-payment, leading to this attachment, as dictated by Section 60(i) of the Civil Procedure Code. Gokhale's salary, reportedly Rs 1.9 lakh per month, can legally have up to two-thirds attached, according to the CPC. Meanwhile, a separate bench has reserved its verdict on Gokhale's plea to overturn a previous decision requiring him to apologize and pay damages.

In December 2023, Puri lodged a contempt petition due to Gokhale's lack of compliance with the court's July ruling. Consequently, Gokhale was mandated to disclose his financial status. The conflict traces back to 2021, when Gokhale's tweets raised suspicions about Puri's property acquisition in Switzerland, prompting legal action.

The Delhi High Court labeled these tweets defamatory in its July 2023 ruling, drawing upon Shakespeare to highlight the reputational harm. The court mandated Gokhale to publish apologies in a leading newspaper and on Twitter, ensuring visibility for six months. An earlier ruling had halted Gokhale from issuing further defamatory statements. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)