Hardeep Singh Puri faces questions over photograph with Jeffrey Epstein

India’s Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has come under fresh scrutiny after a photograph released by the US Department of Justice showed him sitting across a table from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. No one else is visible in the photograph. Puri had previously said that he first met Epstein as part of a delegation from the International Peace Institute (IPI). The newly surfaced image has therefore raised questions about his account. However, the absence of other people in the photograph does not establish that no one else was present before or after the meeting.

The photograph began circulating on social media on Tuesday, 20 October. It was included in the ninth tranche of Epstein-related documents released by the US Department of Justice in January this year. In the image, Puri is seen wearing a suit, while Epstein is dressed in a black high-neck top. Papers and other items can be seen on the table between them. At least 10 similar photographs of the meeting have been found, with only minor differences in camera angles.

Following the photograph's emergence, The Wire sought a response from Puri's office. The minister's office said that he could not recall exactly which meeting the photograph showed. He also could not remember whether anyone else had been present before or after the photograph was taken. The office further maintained that Puri had never claimed that he had not held any private meetings with Epstein.

According to the minister's office, Puri had explained the circumstances of his acquaintance with Epstein during a press conference in February. At the time, his superior at the IPI was Terje Rød-Larsen, a veteran Norwegian diplomat. Puri's office claimed that Rød-Larsen knew Epstein well and that Puri first met him as part of a delegation from the institute led by Rød-Larsen. The office maintained that Puri had explained how the introduction took place, not claimed that other members of the delegation had attended every subsequent meeting.

The minister's office also argued that the photographs did not contradict Puri's account. Instead, it said, they supported his description of the nature of the meetings. According to the office, the images show the two men sitting on opposite sides of a table, with papers between them and both dressed formally. It argued that the setting was consistent with a professional meeting. The office reiterated that Puri had never visited Epstein's private island. However, the photograph captures only a single moment and cannot, on its own, establish the full circumstances of the meeting or the subject of their discussion.

To understand the controversy surrounding the new photograph, it is important to examine Puri's earlier statements alongside the emails that have become public.

At a press conference on 11 February, Puri said he had met Epstein three or, at most, four times over a period of approximately eight years, from 2009, when he joined India's diplomatic mission to the United Nations in New York, until 2017, when he became a Union minister. According to Puri, the contact began when he was working with the IPI. He had joined the New York-based organisation after retiring from India's diplomatic service.

Emails released by the US Department of Justice in January this year provided further details of the communication between Puri and Epstein. Their email exchanges ran from June 2014 to June 2017. The documents include details of at least three meetings scheduled to take place at Epstein's home in Manhattan, New York. These were planned for 4 February 2015, 6 January 2016 and 19 May 2017. Epstein's assistant, Leslie Groff, was involved in arranging the meetings. Another meeting, planned for 9 January 2015, was cancelled because Epstein was not in New York.

The emails also reveal discussions about India's technology sector and digital economy. In September 2014, Epstein introduced Puri to LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Puri and Hoffman subsequently exchanged communications. In an email dated 13 November that year, Puri discussed investment opportunities in India's internet economy, the Digital India initiative and the scope for technology companies to expand their businesses.

Puri had previously said that his intention was to highlight investment opportunities in India's economy and technology sector. In his account to The Wire, he said he had presented his assessment of the previous government's initiatives relating to innovation, Make in India and digital development. He maintained that these communications had no connection with Epstein's criminal activities.

However, the emails also contain details of other interactions. On 24 October 2014, Epstein asked Puri to help arrange an Indian visa for one of his assistants, who wanted to attend a wedding in India. Puri forwarded the request to former Indian diplomat Pramod Bajaj and asked him to treat the matter as a priority.

In December that year, Puri emailed Epstein, asking him to get in touch after returning from his “exotic island”. He also wrote that he wanted to speak with Epstein and give him some books to encourage his interest in India. Puri's explanation was that referring to the island in an email did not mean he had visited it. His office also reiterated that he had never travelled to Epstein's island.

The photograph has prompted opposition leaders to question Puri's account. Congress leader Srinivas BV described the episode as an embarrassment for India on the international stage. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra asked where the other members of the delegation had been if only Puri and Epstein were visible in the photograph. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose also criticised Puri's association with Epstein. Meanwhile, Anish Gawande of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) called for the details of the discussions held during the meetings to be made public. These are political reactions from opposition leaders and do not, in themselves, constitute evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to offences related to soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida. In July 2019, he was arrested again on charges of sex trafficking involving minors. He died in custody in August that year while awaiting trial. His death was officially ruled a suicide.

Puri's office has maintained that having met Epstein several times in a professional capacity in the past does not establish involvement in any crime. It also pointed out that many people from different fields had met Epstein during that period.

Two issues need to be distinguished in this controversy. First, the published photograph and emails have brought details of the contact and meetings between Puri and Epstein into the public domain. Second, establishing the purpose of those interactions and whether they had any connection with Epstein's crimes requires more specific information and evidence. A photograph showing two people together does not, by itself, prove involvement in criminal activity. Equally, describing a meeting as professional does not automatically answer every question raised by the available records.

When questions arise about a Union minister's past associations, a clear explanation of the context, the subjects discussed and the relevant documents is essential. Puri's office has described the meetings as professional engagements. However, the absence of other people from the newly surfaced photograph, alongside references to multiple meetings in the earlier emails, has left questions about how his account aligns with the published records.

Those questions need to be addressed through documents, verifiable information and evidence rather than political sparring.