Newly viral DOJ photos revive questions about Puri’s meetings and email exchanges with Epstein, while the minister denies any wrongdoing and opposition leaders demand answers

New Delhi: Two photographs showing Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri sitting across a table from Jeffrey Epstein have sparked fresh political debate in India. The images began circulating widely on social media in mid-October 2026. They reportedly come from files released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of its Epstein records. The photographs show the two men in what appears to be a private conversation inside a richly furnished room.

Commentator Anish Gawande shared the images on Instagram, and users later spread them on X, formerly Twitter. Some posts included links to documents on the DOJ website, including file number EFTA01191294. The photographs have renewed public and political scrutiny of Puri’s documented contacts with Epstein, the late American financier and convicted sex offender.

The controversy raises questions about diplomacy, professional networking, the release of US government documents and Indian politics. Here is what the available records say, how Puri has explained his meetings, how political parties have reacted and which questions remain unanswered.

Who Is Hardeep Singh Puri and Why Does His Name Appear?

Hardeep Singh Puri is a former Indian Foreign Service officer who later entered politics. He served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2009 to 2013. After leaving the diplomatic service, he worked with the International Peace Institute (IPI) and the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM) in New York.

Puri joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and entered the Union Cabinet in 2017. He later took charge of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry. Reports in late 2026 noted that the BJP had not renominated him to the Rajya Sabha.

Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy American financier who faced state charges involving a minor and received a conviction in 2008. He later faced federal sex-trafficking charges. He died in jail in 2019. Investigations, lawsuits and document releases have examined his connections with influential people around the world for years.

The Epstein Files That Brought Puri’s Name Into Focus

On January 30, 2026, the US Department of Justice released more than three million additional pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The release included emails, schedules, more than 2,000 videos and around 180,000 images. The records mention Puri several times and cover the period after he left his UN post.

Earlier releases, including material from the House Oversight Committee in late 2025, had already drawn attention to a 2014 reference. In that record, Epstein listed “Hardeep Puree (India)” among international figures.

The January 2026 release provided a more detailed record of emails exchanged between roughly June 2014 and June 2017. The documents also pointed to meetings at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse at 9 East 71st Street.

What the Emails and Meeting Records Show

The released emails describe a professional networking relationship focused on India’s growing digital economy and introductions to influential people in Silicon Valley, particularly LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.

The records highlight the following exchanges and meetings:

• June 2014: Epstein hosted a gathering that included Puri and other prominent figures, such as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Puri later wrote that he would help arrange Hoffman’s visit to India.
• September 2014: Epstein introduced Puri to Hoffman and described him as “your man in India.”
• October–November 2014: The discussions continued through email. Puri wrote about India’s internet growth, the new government’s plans to improve rural connectivity and the “Make in India” initiative. In one exchange, he responded to Epstein’s suggestion that they focus more on “internet-based entrepreneurial ideas.” Puri also helped an Epstein aide obtain a visa quickly so the aide could attend a wedding in India.
• December 2014: Puri sent seasonal greetings and asked Epstein to let him know when he returned from his “exotic island.” He offered to bring books that could “excite an interest in India.” In a follow-up message, he added “have fun.”

Epstein’s assistant, Lesley Groff, arranged several meetings at his New York residence. The records identify meetings on or around February 4, 2015, January 6, 2016, and May 19, 2017. The records also show that someone cancelled at least one earlier appointment scheduled for January 2015.

In separate correspondence with other people, Epstein reportedly called Puri “two-faced” after Puri showed limited interest in certain activities.

The Congress party later claimed that the two men exchanged 62 emails and met 14 times. Puri and his office have consistently described a smaller number of interactions and limited substantive correspondence. Independent reporting has confirmed multiple emails and at least three meetings at Epstein’s residence.

Puri’s Defence: “Three or Maximum Four Times” as Part of a Delegation

The emails became a political issue in February 2026, when Rahul Gandhi raised Puri’s name in Parliament. Puri responded at a press conference and in subsequent interviews.

Puri said he met Epstein three times, or at most four times, while working with the IPI and ICM. He described the meetings as professional interactions with a delegation and said they focused on multilateral issues and networking.

Puri also explained that his then-boss at the IPI, Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen, knew Epstein. Rød-Larsen later apologised for his own connections with Epstein.

Puri said he wanted to promote India’s digital economy and investment opportunities, including through introductions to Hoffman. He maintained that he neither participated in nor knew about Epstein’s criminal activities when the first meetings took place.

According to Puri, he searched for Epstein on Google after their first encounter. He later learned about the allegations against Epstein and decided to distance himself when “their frequencies did not match.”

Puri denied visiting Epstein’s private island. He also said that he had “no relationship in any meaningful sense” with Epstein and denied even “a sliver of any wrongdoing.”

Puri described the opposition’s criticism as innuendo and a smear campaign. His office stressed that the meetings took place after he left the UN post, when he worked as a private citizen, and before he became a Union minister.

Political Storm and Calls for Resignation

Opposition parties, led by Congress, demanded answers from Puri and called for his resignation. They questioned his continued contact with Epstein after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. They also pointed to the tone of some emails, the visa assistance and Puri’s reference to Epstein’s “exotic island.”

Opposition leaders argued that these details raised questions about Puri’s judgment. They also cited their claims about the larger number of emails and meetings to challenge his account of the relationship. Some critics pointed out that Puri had already joined the BJP by 2014.

The government and Puri’s supporters offered a different view. They argued that the released files did not establish criminal involvement by Puri. They also noted that many influential people around the world had networked with Epstein during the same period. According to Puri’s defenders, his documented aim was to promote India’s economic interests.

October 2026 Photos Renew the Controversy

The two photographs that went viral in October 2026 show Puri and Epstein sitting opposite each other at a table in an elaborately decorated room. The images show a red sofa and patterned wallpaper, while some frames also feature leopard-print chairs. No other people appear in the circulated photographs.

Users linked the images to specific DOJ file numbers, including EFTA01191294, and related PDF documents on the government website. Journalist Suhasini Haidar and other users on X highlighted the images’ reported DOJ origin and their connection to the period when Puri worked with the IPI in New York in 2014.

In his Instagram post, Anish Gawande described the photographs as “damning.” He called on Puri to explain the meetings, including any meetings he attended in an ambassadorial or institutional capacity. Gawande also referred to Puri’s recent non-renomination to the Rajya Sabha and expressed hope that Puri had not known about “the horrors of Epstein Island.”

Gawande urged Puri to disclose the purpose and content of his discussions with Epstein.

Critics argued that the photographs challenged Puri’s explanation that he attended meetings as part of a delegation. They said the images appeared to show a one-on-one meeting.

Puri’s defenders countered that the photographs did not contradict the meetings he had already acknowledged. They argued that professional meetings can take place without every member of a delegation appearing in every photograph. They also stressed that a photograph showing two people together does not, by itself, prove that either person knew about or participated in criminal activities.

The precise dates of the photographs, the identity of the photographer and the full contextual metadata still require independent verification through the DOJ records. The broader January 2026 release did contain a large number of photographs and videos.

What the Records Show and What They Do Not

The publicly discussed documents establish that Puri and Epstein had a professional acquaintance over several years. The records include emails about networking opportunities related to India and evidence of a small number of meetings at Epstein’s New York home.

However, according to available reporting and Puri’s statements, the documents do not provide evidence that Puri participated in, helped facilitate or knew about Epstein’s sex-trafficking activities. No publicly substantiated allegation has established that Puri visited Little St. James, Epstein’s private island, or committed any crime connected to the case.

Several questions remain for observers. They want to know what Puri and Epstein discussed during their meetings, why their contact continued after Epstein’s 2008 conviction became public knowledge, how much assistance Puri provided and whether his institutional affiliations adequately protected him from reputational risks.

Puri maintains that his contact with Epstein remained limited and professional and eventually ended.

Why the Story Continues to Attract Attention

The case involves a senior Indian minister, a notorious American financier, official US government documents and photographs that have attracted widespread attention. Together, these elements have renewed public interest in Puri’s association with Epstein.

Large releases of official records often bring the names of influential people into public view. The important question is whether the documents establish wrongdoing or simply show that two people knew each other. In Puri’s case, the available record establishes an association but does not, on its own, establish criminal involvement. The circumstances of the meetings and the question of judgment remain open to public debate.

By late October 2026, the photographs had brought the issue back into political and social media discussions in India. Puri had previously said that he had nothing to hide and that the facts were already available in the public domain.

Any further official clarification could address the newly circulated photographs and explain the circumstances in which the images were taken.

Readers who want to examine the original material can consult the US Department of Justice’s Epstein library, which hosts the released emails and images. Indian media organisations, including The Wire, The Indian Express, Reuters and NDTV, have also published detailed reports on the email exchanges and Puri’s responses since February 2026.

The October 2026 social media posts brought the photographs to a wider Indian audience, renewing attention to material from the same government archive that first brought Puri’s contacts with Epstein into public discussion.

The documented story so far centres on a former diplomat who networked in New York, emails about India’s digital ambitions, meetings that Puri has acknowledged, strong political disagreements and photographs that have drawn fresh attention to records already available in the US government archive.