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Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
TMC MP Saket Gokhale issues public apology to ex-diplomat Lakshmi Puri over 2021 posts - 'I sincerely regret'
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale apologised to ex-diplomat Lakshmi Puri for having put out a series of tweets against her in June 2021. The TMC Rajya Sabha member in a post on X clarified that his 'tweets' contained wrong and unverified allegations in relation to the purchase of property by Ambassador Puri abroad. "I unconditionally apologise for having put out a series of tweets against Amb. Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri on 13th and 23rd June 2021, which tweets contained wrong and unverified allegations in relation to the purchase of property by Ambassador Puri abroad, which I sincerely regret," the Rajya Sabha member said. This came after the Delhi High Court issued a notice to Gokhale, directing him to explain why he should not face civil imprisonment for failing to apologise to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri over defamatory social media posts. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora presided over the hearing of an execution petition filed by Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, seeking enforcement of the final judgment and decree dated July 1, 2024. Puri had filed the defamation suit before the court in response to tweets made by Mr Gokhale in June 2021 making reckless and false allegations about her financial affairs in the context of an apartment that she owned in Geneva. Gokhale had in the series of posts on X (then twitter) questioned how Puri could have bought a house for 1.6 million Swiss Franc in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2006 with her then income. Puri said these posts tarnished her goodwill and reputation. The ruling had mandated Gokhale to pay ₹ 50 lakh in damages within eight weeks and publish a public apology both in a newspaper and on his X (formerly Twitter) account within four weeks. On April 24, 2025, the High Court had ordered the attachment of Gokhale's salary, amounting to ₹ 1,90,000 per month, until the full decretal sum of ₹ 50 lakh was realised. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Lakshmi Puri, highlighted that a coordinate bench hearing a contempt petition had, on May 9, 2025, directed Gokhale to issue the apology within two weeks as per the decree. Singh pointed out that this directive had neither been disclosed to the current Court nor challenged through an appeal, and more significantly, it had not been complied with. After hearing submissions from both sides, including arguments from Gokhale's Counsel, Naman Joshi, the Court noted that the Judgment Debtor appeared to be disregarding its directives and judicial process. The Court observed that despite granting additional time for compliance, Gokhale had failed to adhere to the decree dated July 1, 2024, as well as the subsequent order issued on May 9, 2025. In response, the Court issued a show-cause notice to Gokhale, requiring him to explain why he should not be sent to civil imprisonment. The Court further directed him to file a reply within a week. I unconditionally apologise for having put out a series of tweets against Amb. Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri... which I sincerely regret. Lakshmi Puri was represented by Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, briefed by Karanjawala & Company.
News18
2 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Saket Gokhale Publicly Apologises To Ex-Diplomat Lakshmi Puri Over Defamatory Posts
Last Updated: Saket Gokhale clarified that his tweets contained wrong and unverified allegations against the former diplomat. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale on Tuesday issued an unconditional apology to former ambassador Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri over defamatory posts posted in 2021 regarding the latter's purchase of property abroad. He clarified that his tweets contained wrong and unverified allegations against the former diplomat. 'I unconditionally apologise for having put-out a series of tweets against Amb. Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri on 13th and 23rd June 2021, which tweets contained wrong and unverified allegations in relation to the purchase of property by Amb. Puri abroad, which I sincerely regret," the Rajya Sabha MP said in the apology note which was published in newspaper and shared on his X handle. — Saket Gokhale MP (@SaketGokhale) June 9, 2025 This apology came in compliance with the Delhi High Court's order, which had directed Gokhale to publicly apologise and pay Rs 50 lakh in damages to Ms. Puri for the defamatory statements. In a show cause notice issued to the lawmaker, the high court directed him to explain why he should not face civil imprisonment for failing to apologise to the former diplomat The court had earlier restrained him from making further comments against the former Indian diplomat, who is also the wife of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The apology was finally published days after the high court warned Gokhale of civil detention for willful non-compliance of its earlier orders. The court had on May 28 observed that Gokhale had failed to publish an apology within the timelines set out in its July 1, 2024 judgment—and even ignored the extended deadline granted in contempt proceedings on May 9, 2025. On April 24, 2025, the High Court had ordered the attachment of Gokhale's salary, amounting to Rs 1,90,000 per month, until the full decretal sum of Rs 50 lakh was realised. Puri had approached the high court in 2021, alleging Gokhale tarnished her goodwill and reputation by making reckless and false allegations about her financial affairs in the context of an apartment that she owned in Geneva. Gokhale had in the series of post questioned how Ms. Puri could have bought a house for 1.6 million Swiss Franc in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2006 with her then income. In the July 1, 2024 verdict, aside from directing publication of an apology and payment of Rs 50 lakh as damages, the high court restrained Gokhale from publishing any more content on any social media or electronic platform concerning his imputation against Puri.
STV News
07-05-2025
- General
- STV News
Highland war hero immortalised on stamp commemorating VE Day
A Highland war hero has been honoured with a postage stamp in his memory. The stamps celebrate the courage shown by legendary commando Sir Tommy Macpherson and form part of events marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day. The Nazis allegedly referred to Macpherson as 'The kilted killer' during the Second World War. Dropped by submarine in North Africa, he sabotaged enemy positions before being caught and escaping back to Britain – then being parachuted into central France to join the resistance. The Germans offered a 300,000 Franc reward for his recapture. Speaking to STV News [then Grampian] in 2009, Sir Tommy echoed what so many from the WWII era have said in the past – that he was simply 'doing a job'. Sir Tommy was one of the most decorated British soldiers of the conflict. As part of a special operations unit, he helped delay the advance of the infamous SS Panzer Division. He later persuaded 23,000 Wehrmacht troops to surrender, conning them into believing that his entire brigade was nearby. Sir Tommy was awarded France's highest honour of the Legion d'Honneur and was knighted in 1992. Relatives joined a Royal Mail reception last week where Sir Tommy and other war heroes were honoured with their faces embossed on anniversary stamps. His widow Lady Jean Macpherson said: 'I think he would have been very proud of it. I think they've done a really marvellous job.' Also speaking at the Clan Macpherson Museum, in the family's hometown of Newtonmore, Sir Tommy's son Angus said: 'It's really humbling – not only the fact that my father did these remarkable things but actually to meet all the other people who are on the stamps and to meet their descendants.' Tommy died in 2014 at the age of 94. Lady Jean said it was since then, in quieter times, that she had reflected on his heroism. 'Time didn't allow the thought. But once it was all over, then I realised he'd really managed to achieve quite a lot in his years,' she said. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
See - Sada Elbalad
10-03-2025
- Sport
- See - Sada Elbalad
Mostafa Mohamed Reaches 100 Caps with Nantes
Franc's Ligue 1 side Nantes honored its Egyptian international Mostafa Mohamed on Sunday by presenting him with a jersey bearing the number 100, celebrating his milestone of reaching 100 matches with the team. Mostafa Mohamed started in the match between Nantes and Strasbourg, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Strasbourg in the French League. The Egyptian striker took a shot in the 25th minute that went over the crossbar. He suffered an injury in the 63rd minute. He was then substituted in the 71st minute, with Moses Simon coming on as his replacement. The match-winning goal was scored by Strasbourg's Felix Lemarechal in the 79th minute. Mohamed joined the French club in 2022, coming from the Turkish Galatasaray.
