THANE: In 2021, former United Nations Assistant SecretaryGeneral Lakshmi Puri initiated a defamation lawsuit against Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale. The suit arose after Gokhale published a series of tweets questioning Puri’s purchase of property in Switzerland and suggesting impropriety in her and her husband, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s, assets. He even tagged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, calling for an Enforcement Directorate probe. In July 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled that Gokhale’s tweets were defamatory, invoking Shakespeare’s Othello to underscore the harm inflicted on Puri’s reputation. Shortly after the initial ruling, the court issued an interim injunction in July 2021. Gokhale was ordered to remove the offending tweets within 24 hours and refrain from any further defamatory statements. Despite these clear instructions, he neither took down the posts nor issued an apology, prompting Puri to file a contempt petition for wilful non-compliance. Saket Gokhale appeared before the Delhi High Court on February 28 and April 15, 2025, in response to the contempt petition. During these hearings, Puri’s legal team argued that Gokhale had deliberately ignored the court’s orders, thereby necessitating stricter enforcement measures. On May 9, 2025, Justice Anish Dayal delivered a firm directive: Public Apology: Gokhale must publish an unconditional apology on his X handle within one week. The apology must remain visible for 6 months. Newspaper Notice: He must also advertise the apology prominently in The Times of India. Damages: A payment of Rs 50 lakh in damages to Lakshmi Puri is to be made immediately. No Further Defamation: Gokhale is expressly forbidden from making any future defamatory remarks about Puri on any platform. This decision enforces the Delhi High Court’s earlier judgment of July 1, 2024, and underscores the judiciary’s intolerance for defamation and contempt.