The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a stern notice to Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale, asking why he shouldn’t be sent to civil prison for failing to apologize to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri over defamatory social media posts.
In July 2024, the Court ruled Gokhale’s tweets were defamatory, ordering him to pay ₹50 lakh in damages and publish a public apology in the Times of India and on his X (formerly Twitter) account. Puri, wife of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, had sued Gokhale in 2021 after he alleged she owned property in Switzerland disproportionate to her income.
Despite repeated directions and extensions, Gokhale has yet to comply. Earlier this month, a bench rejected his proposal to submit the apology in a sealed cover and gave him two weeks to publish it.
On Wednesday, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, hearing Puri’s execution petition, expressed displeasure after Gokhale’s counsel claimed they had no instructions from him. The judge remarked that Gokhale appeared to be “mocking the court” and issued a notice under the Civil Procedure Code.
With no apology in sight and damages unpaid, the Court last month even ordered the partial attachment of Gokhale’s MP salary. His bid to recall the judgment was dismissed on May 2.
