Delhi HC directs AITMC MP Saket Gokhale to pay Rs 50 lakh damages to Laxmi Puri in defamation case

New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday directed AITMC MP Saket Gokhale to pay Rs 50 lakh damages to former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Lakshmi Puri in her defamation suit against him.

The court also asked Gokhale to post an apology in the Times of India and on his Twitter handle.

“The apology on the Twitter handle should stay for six months,” the court added.

This suit arises from defamation against plaintiff Lakshmi Puri, wherein defendant Saket Gokhale published defamatory tweets or posts regarding plaintiff’s integrity.

The court today, while passing judgment, said, “The plaintiff has suffered irreparable harm on account of Defendant No. 1, i.e., Saket Gokhale’s defamatory statements and is directed to give an apology to the plaintiff, which shall be published on Defendant No. 1’s X account and in Times of India. Further, the tweet published on the defendant X account shall be retained for a period of 6 months.

“Gokhale is restrained from publishing further defamatory content against the plaintiff. Damages to the tune of Rs 50,00,000 are awarded to the plaintiff for the harm caused to her reputation,” the court added.

The bench of Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani while passing the Judgement on Monday observed that no amount of monetary award can truly compensate for damage to reputation, however upon a balance of all considerations, Sanket Gokhle is directed to pay to the plaintiff damages in the sum of Rs 50 lakhs within 08 (eight) weeks.

A Civil Suit was filed, by Karanjawala & Co., on behalf of Ms. Lakshmi Puri. Senior Advocate- Maninder Singh (Former ASG) on behalf of Ms. Lakshmi M. Puri, who was briefed by a team from Karanjawala & Company comprising of Ms. Meghna Mishra- Sr. Partner along with Tarun Sharma, Palak Sharma and Shreyansh Rathi, Advocates.

According to Puri’s petition, in a series of tweets dated June 13, 2021 and June 23, 2021, defendant Gokhale made false and scurrilous allegation against plaintiff Puri along with her husband they they have purchased a “house” in Geneva, Switzerland in the year 2006 with “black money”.

Defendant, Gokhale, in one of his tweets has referred to “Swiss bank accounts” and “foreign black money” and tagged the Union Finance Minister to order a money-laundering inquiry by the Enforcement Directorate against the plaintiff and her husband, the petition said.