The Delhi High Court has declined to accept Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale’s apology in a sealed cover in connection with a contempt plea filed by former diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri. The court observed that Gokhale had delayed and failed to comply with its earlier order.
Justice Anish Dayal, in an order dated May 9, directed Gokhale to publicly apologise within two weeks through his X (formerly Twitter) account—the same platform on which the allegedly defamatory statements were made—and also publish the apology in a leading English daily.
The matter pertains to a contempt petition filed by Puri against Gokhale for non-compliance with the court’s July 1, 2024 judgment. That ruling had restrained Gokhale from posting any further defamatory content on social media and directed him to apologise to Puri and pay ₹50 lakh in damages.
The court, rejecting the sealed cover proposal, noted: “There is no reason why the court should take the apology in a sealed cover and then wait for the result of an appeal against the dismissal of the Order IX Rule 13 CPC application, as and when the appeal is filed and adjudicated.”
Justice Dayal further observed that no appeal had been filed within the statutory time limit and a belated challenge had already been dismissed by a coordinate bench. “The respondent has simply tarried, lingered and procrastinated, but still not complied with the judgment/decree,” the order stated.
The court also highlighted Gokhale’s public stature, stating, “He is a parliamentarian and a reputed member of society, yet more than 10 months have passed without any order preventing compliance of the July 2024 judgment.”
The issue of wilful disobedience will be considered later after hearing both parties.
The case originated in 2021 when Puri, a former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, alleged that Gokhale had damaged her reputation by making unsubstantiated claims about her financial dealings regarding an apartment in Geneva.
The July 1, 2024 judgment had ordered Gokhale to pay ₹50 lakh to Puri within eight weeks and publish an apology that would remain visible on his X account for six months.
Gokhale later filed an application seeking to recall the judgment, but this was dismissed on May 2, 2025, with the court refusing to condone a delay of over 180 days in filing the request. Earlier, on April 24, 2025, a bench of the High Court also ordered partial attachment of Gokhale’s salary as an MP to enforce the judgment.
Puri has accused Gokhale of deliberately disobeying the court order and continuing to make defamatory statements not just against her, but also against the judiciary. Her counsel argued that Gokhale had shown “extreme irresponsibility” by making “roving allegations insinuating financial impropriety”, which indirectly targeted BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri, without proper verification.
Puri has also sought damages of ₹5 crore to be deposited in the PMCARES Fund and has demanded removal of the defamatory posts.
