NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC on Tuesday criticised Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale for filing a flawed affidavit in his appeal against a defamation order directing him to pay Rs 50 lakh to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Renu Bhatnagar objected to the affidavit for reproducing alleged oral court observations. “This is not done… you first withdraw the affidavit,” the court said, asking Gokhale to file a revised one. The matter is next listed for July 22.
Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, representing Gokhale, admitted the mistake and apologised: “This should not have happened. No oral remarks should be in affidavits.”
Last year, the court held that Gokhale’s tweets accusing Puri of owning Swiss property disproportionate to her income were “false and untrue.” The tweets were deemed politically motivated and aimed at targeting her husband, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
The court noted social media posts can trigger a “chain reaction” akin to a “nuclear reaction gone out of control.” Gokhale was ordered to pay damages and apologise in The Times of India and on X.