Contempt Notice Issued to Trinamool MP Saket Gokhale in Defamation Case
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New Delhi, Dec 23 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale for his failure to remit Rs 50 lakh in damages to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri, spouse of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
A bench led by Justice Manoj Jain was addressing a contempt petition submitted by Lakshmi Puri against Gokhale for his “willful and deliberate non-compliance” with the Delhi High Court ruling.
Justice Jain’s Bench directed Saket Gokhale to present an affidavit detailing all his assets, properties, and bank accounts within the next four weeks.
The case is scheduled for a subsequent hearing on February 5 of next year.
On July 1, the Delhi High Court had mandated the Trinamool Congress leader to compensate Rs 50 lakh in damages in a defamation lawsuit initiated by Lakshmi Puri.
Additionally, it ordered Gokhale to publish an apology in a newspaper and on his social media account “X” within four weeks due to the dissemination of false and unverified claims.
Moreover, the Delhi HC stipulated that the apology tweet on Gokhale’s account should remain visible for six months.
In the recent petition, Lakshmi Puri asserted that Gokhale should face consequences for his non-compliance and intentional disregard of the court's ruling.
The contempt petition further indicated that Gokhale was fully aware of the July 1 judgment against him and had even made related posts on his social media account.
The defamation suit arose after Gokhale's repeated posts on X alleging that Lakshmi Puri acquired property in Switzerland that was disproportionate to her reported income, also implicating Hardeep Puri in his accusations.
The Delhi High Court had concluded that the plaintiff suffered irreparable damage due to Gokhale's defamatory remarks.
It stated: “The defendant (Gokhale) is prohibited from publishing additional defamatory content against the plaintiff. Compensation amounting to Rs 50,00,000 is awarded to the plaintiff for the damage to her reputation.”
