Delhi High Court Upholds Rs 50 Lakh Defamation Penalty Against TMC MP Saket Gokhale

The Delhi High Court denied TMC MP Saket Gokhale's plea to retract an order requiring him to pay Rs 50 lakh in damages and apologize to former UN Assistant Secretary-General Lakshmi Puri for defamation. Gokhale must issue a public apology and his salary will be partially attached until the amount is paid.

The Delhi High Court has dismissed an application from Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale, who sought to nullify a previous directive demanding he pays Rs 50 lakh in damages and publicly apologize to Lakshmi Puri, ex-Assistant Secretary-General of the UN, in a defamation case.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Gaurav presided over the decision, disregarding Gokhale's plea but acknowledging input from his legal team, led by Amarjit Singh Bedi and Harsha Vinoy. Puri's representation included Senior Advocate Maninder Singh and Karanjawala & Company, specifically through Meghna Mishra and her associates.

The case stemmed from defamatory tweets by Gokhale regarding a Switzerland property purchase by Puri, which questioned her and her husband, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's, assets. The bench, emphasizing the substantial reputational damage, cited Shakespeare, maintaining that Gokhale must publicly apologize in The Times of India and on Twitter, where it should stay pinned for six months.