Delhi HC directs activist Gokhale to remove tweets against ex-diplomat Lakshmi Puri

The Delhi High Court Tuesday directed activist Saket Gokhale to forthwith delete alleged defamatory tweets against former diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri.

In an interim order, Justice C Hari Shankar also restrained Gokhale from posting scandalous tweets against Lakshmi Puri and her husband Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri during the pendency of the defamation suit.

The court said if Gokhale fails to delete the tweets within 24 hours of passing of the order, Twitter shall identify the URLs and take necessary action.

The court passed the order on a defamation suit filed by Lakshmi Puri seeking Rs five crore damages from Gokhale and a direction that he deletes the tweets.

She alleged that in the tweets, Gokhale has made false and factually incorrect, per-se defamatory, slanderous and libellous statements/imputations against her and her family.

The court also issued a summons to Gokhale on the main suit and directed him to file his written statement within four weeks and listed the case before the Joint Registrar on September 10.