The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to accept the written apology submitted by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale in a defamation case initiated by former diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri over his allegedly defamatory social media posts.

A division bench comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Renu Bhatnagar was hearing Gokhale’s appeal against a July 1, 2024 judgment of a single judge bench. The earlier verdict had restrained him from posting any further defamatory content against Puri and directed him to tender an apology and pay ₹50 lakh in damages.

During the hearing, the division bench noted discrepancies between the apology mandated by the single judge and the one submitted by Gokhale. “This is not done… you first withdraw this affidavit, then we will hear you,” the court told Gokhale’s counsel, declining to take the affidavit on record and asking for a fresh one to be filed.

Senior advocate Amit Sibal, appearing for Gokhale, argued that his client had complied with previous court directions by submitting an unconditional apology via affidavit and posting a public apology on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

However, senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing Puri, opposed the submission and highlighted Gokhale’s conduct during contempt proceedings before the single judge.

Gokhale had earlier assured the court that he would issue an unconditional apology after his request to publish a conditional one was rejected. He has also challenged the single judge’s May 9 order in the contempt proceedings, which directed him to publish the apology both on his X handle and in a prominent national daily within two weeks — a deadline that expired on May 23.

The division bench has now listed the matter for further hearing on July 22.

The case stems from a 2021 defamation suit filed by Puri, who accused Gokhale of damaging her reputation by making unverified and defamatory claims regarding her financial affairs, particularly in relation to a Geneva apartment she owns.

Gokhale was represented by law firm Karanjawala & Co