'Between 2002 and 2005, Puri tried to claim money from the authors and publishers.

Obviously, Lapierre also refused to pay Puri's demand for $10 million initially, which was raised to $ 20 million later. In January 2005 Puri filed a defamation case,' the Full Circle statement said.

Lawyer Bakshi said: 'I am surprised that such an order (by the high court) has been passed against a Padma Bhushan laureate, recognized by the people of India for his philanthropy here and who is also known worldwide for the painstaking research he does for his books.

'He has extensive notes and tapes of his interviews to substantiate his narration of events,' Bakshi said.

According to Bakshi, 'the whole issue is about money. Puri has earlier demanded $10 million and increased it later to $20 million plus legal fees.

'If Puri truly felt defamed, how come he didn't appear in court for two-and-a-half years in person or through his counsel? In fact, the court had to issue a notice to Puri on March 14 to appear in court,' Bakshi added.

The lawyer also pointed out that Moti Singh's book on the gas tragedy published in 2005 'also contains everything said by Lapierre and Moro in their book.

'But there was no case against him as it was written by a seniormost government officer who was privy to all actual facts and information. Ironically, Moti Singh's book is even more unflattering, as it implies that legal action should be taken against Puri for his inaction during those fateful days,' Bakshi added.