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Updated June 23rd, 2021 at 23:45 IST

Hardeep Puri's wife shoots legal arrow at Saket Gokhale for pointing finger at her income

Union Minister Hardeep Puri's wife and former Indian diplomat Lakshmi Puri sent a legal notice to Saket Gokhale over his tweets questioning her source of income

Reported by: Ananya Bhatnagar
Lakshmi Puri
PTI/Twitter/Legal Era | Image:self
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Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's wife and former Indian diplomat Lakshmi Puri has sent a legal notice to alleged activist Saket Gokhale over his tweets questioning the sources of income of the former envoy. The legal notice sent by Puri through her lawyer and Karanjawala & Co. Managing Director Raian Karanjawala seeks immediate removal of these tweets. The notice also seeks an apology from Gokhale along with an undertaking that the same would not be repeated.

The legal notice sent by Puri through Mr Karanjawala reads, "You have in a series of tweets issued today stated factually incorrect and libellous information about my client, Smt. Lakshmi Puri. The tweets are maliciously motivated, laced with canards and entail deliberate twisting of facts in order to cause reputational damage and irrevocable harm."

Mr Karanjawala in the notice to Gokhale further says, "Despite my client’s response on the substantive points of contention, you have continued to send out tweets in order to create a false narrative despite clear clarifications offered on the platform." 

Rendering clarification regarding the affidavit shared by Gokhale, the notice goes on to say, "UN incomes are tax-free, and what is stated in her Income Tax Return is her taxable Indian income. Further details of income and sources for both her and her husband are also detailed in the Affidavit filed by her husband, Hardeep Puri, who is a public representative, with financial information available in the public domain."

The ex-diplomat through her notice also lashed out at Gokhale for sharing her Permanent Account Number (PAN) details on the social media platform saying that the same could be "misused" and can cause "irreplaceable damages". 

"You are hereby directed to immediately apologise, remove the tweets and give an undertaking that you will not resort to such slanderous behaviour ever in the future. Your failure to do so would result in proceedings against you for civil and criminal action and punitive damages for defamation and injury," the legal notice concluded. 

Lakshmi Puri sues Saket Gokhale

Legal Notice Accessed by Republic on Scribd

Activist questions Lakshmi Puri's source of income

The legal notice comes after Gokhale had in his tweets questioned how could Mrs Puri buy a house in Geneva, Switzerland with her then income. He further went on to say that her income could have only been Rs 10-12 lakhs as she was on deputation from the Government of India to UNCTAD. 

Lakshmi Puri has served as Assistant Secretary-General at United Nations, Deputy Executive Director at United Nations Women, and Ambassador of India to Hungary and accredited to Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is currently working as a commentator on National and International Affairs.

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Published June 23rd, 2021 at 23:01 IST

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