Saket Gokhale

Saket Gokhale is an Indian Member of Parliament (MP), RTI activist and politician, and the National Spokesperson of Trinamool Congress.^[1] He joined TMC in 2021.^[2] He had also worked as a foreign correspondent at the Financial Times and at National Public Radio (NPR). Now he is the member of India's Upper House of Parliament i.e. Rajya Sabha representing the State of West Bengal.^[2]

Saket Gokhale
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 July 2023
Preceded by	Luizinho Faleiro
Constituency	West Bengal
Personal details
Born	(1987-01-31) 31 January 1987 (age 37)
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Trinamool Congress
Residence(s)	New Delhi, India
Known for	RTI Activism

Legal affairs

In December 2022, he was arrested over a tweet for posting alleged misinformation about 2022 Morbi bridge collapse.^[3][4] After getting bail from a metropolitan court in Ahmedabad, he was re-arrested over the same tweet in a matter of few hours.^[5] On 10 December, he was freed on bail.^[6]

In January 2023, Gokhale was arrested again by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over charges of money laundering, as he had allegedly diverted crowdfunded money for personal expenses and investments.^[7] The Supreme Court granted him bail in April 2023.^[8]

On 30 June 2024, The Delhi High Court directed Saket Gokhale to apologize and pay Rs 50 lakh damages to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri, the wife of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, for his defamatory tweets against her over the purchase over the purchase of a property in Switzerland. Hearing the defamation lawsuit filed by the former assistant secretary general of the United Nations, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani also restrained the TMC Member of Parliament from publishing any more content on any social media or electronic platform concerning his imputation. ^[9]

References

1. "Rise of Saket Gokhale amid hiccups: RTI activist to TMC spokesperson to its Rajya Sabha new face". The Indian Express. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
2. "RTI activist Saket Gokhale joins Trinamool Congress". The Indian Express. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
3. "TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale arrested over tweet on Morbi bridge". Hindustan Times. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
4. "'Very bad... arrested because he tweeted against PM': Mamata backs Saket Gokhale". Hindustan Times. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
5. "Saket Gokhale Arrest News: TMC's Saket Gokhale freed on bail, rearrested in Ahmedabad". The Times of India. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
6. "Bail for Saket Gokhale after second arrest". Telegraph India. 10 December 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
7. "ED to court: TMC's Saket Gokhale used crowd fund on wining-dining, stock trading". The Indian Express. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
8. "Crowdfunding 'misuse' case: SC grants bail to TMC leader Saket Gokhale". The Indian Express. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
9. "Delhi High Court directs TMC's Saket Gokhale to apologise to ex-diplomat Lakshmi Puri, pay Rs 50 lakh damages". The Deccan Herald. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.