Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Member Saket Gokhale on Tuesday tendered an unconditional public apology to former diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri — wife of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri — over his string of defamatory social media posts he had posted in 2021 regarding her foreign property buying.
The apology follows a July 2024 verdict by the Delhi High Court, which ordered Gokhale to pay ₹50 lakh in damages, stating he had made "baseless and unverified allegations" that harmed Puri’s reputation.
On a post on X, Gokhale averred, "I unconditionally apologise for having posted a series of tweets against Amb. Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri on 13th and 23rd June 2021, which tweets carried incorrect and unsubstantiated allegations pertaining to the acquisition of property by Amb. Puri overseas, which I deeply regret."
The High Court had directed Gokhale to publish this apology not only on his social media platforms but also in a national newspaper. The court further mandated that the tweet remain visible on his X profile for a continuous period of six months.
Previously, the court had observed that the accusations made by Gokhale caused "irreparable damage" to Puri’s public image. It restrained him from making any further defamatory statements against her and ordered the attachment of his parliamentary salary until the court-ordered compensation was fully deposited.
On May 28, the court had taken a stern stance, warning Gokhale of possible civil imprisonment due to his failure to comply with the damages payment.
The scandal had been going on since June 2021 when Gokhale tweeted that Lakshmi Puri had invested in Swiss real estate with earnings from her more than known sources of income. He had even introduced Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri into the debate, which led to legal action from the ex-diplomat.
The court ruled in July 2024 that Gokhale was liable for defamation and directed the award of damages to the plaintiff. It also ordered him to submit a detailed affidavit within four weeks disclosing all his assets including movable and immovable properties, bank details and financial deposits.
Commenting on Gokhale's continuous defiance, the court underlined that he did not follow its earlier decisions as a "wilful and deliberate act of non-compliance".
More piling up of his legal woes, on May 2 this year, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav dismissed Gokhale's plea for the recall of the July order, thus confirming the original direction of the court and leaving the MP with no respite.
