Delhi court orders TMC MP to pay Rs 50 Lakh in defamatory tweets

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale has been ordered to pay Rs 50 lakh and issue an apology by a Delhi court in a defamation case filed by former diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, wife of former union minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Gokhale had posted defamatory tweets against her concerning the purchase of a property in Switzerland.

The Delhi High Court ruled that the "roving allegations" of financial impropriety in the purchase of the property by Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri were "actually targeted" at her husband, Hardeep Singh Puri of the BJP, according to reports by Times of India.

The court deemed Gokhale's actions "extremely irresponsible" for publishing the "derogatory content" without proper verification. It further instructed Gokhale to publish an apology on his X handle (formerly Twitter), where he had posted the offending tweets.

The court noted, "No amount of monetary award can truly compensate for damage to reputation. However, upon a balance of all considerations, defendant No.1 is directed to pay the plaintiff damages in the sum of Rs 50 lakh within eight weeks," emphasizing that the apology must remain on Gokhale's X handle for six months from the date of posting.