New Delhi [India], August 11 : The legal case in the United States against Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani came to a complete closure after US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York dismissed the criminal charges against them.
Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa, speaking to ANI, explained that the Adani Group's legal proceedings stood closed in the US, noting that the Department of Justice (DoJ) itself clarified that the alleged transactions never occurred within US jurisdiction.
"Look, for Adani group, it is very significant that an indictment happened in the United States, and it happened last year. It received a lot of negative publicity. However, the Department of Justice says that the bribery transaction never actually occurred in the US--it happened in India. The jurisdiction was never with the United States to begin with," Pahwa stated.
The US District judge granted federal prosecutors the permission to withdraw the indictment after examining their grounds, ending allegations regarding an Indian solar power contract bribery scheme that allegedly misled American investors.
"And as for the application filed later by the Department of Justice in 2024, Adani Group got a great relief already. The Department of Justice had four or five very important grounds. The first ground was that these charges should never have been filed in the first place. Then, regarding the timing, the Department of Justice also stated that the timing was not right; perhaps the government was changing at that time, and that's when these charges were framed and the indictment took place. There are many such points here. I believe this is a very important and significant judgment for the Adani Group," Pahwa said.
Confirming the status of the case, Pahwa emphasized that the judicial dismissal established a definitive conclusion to the matter.
"As far as I'm concerned, [this case against Adani] is completely closed in the US. Once a withdrawal or dismissal of an indictment occurs and receives the seal of approval from the court, it speaks for itself. But once an indictment is closed by a judge's order, its revival is difficult. It is written in their rules as well as their laws," Pahwa said.
He further elaborated on the legal procedure and judicial scrutiny involved in accepting the prosecution's request to drop the charges.
"The Judiciary's role is not limited; it is extremely important. Just like in our country, the withdrawal of prosecution happens under Section 321 of the CrPC, when a prosecutor decides to withdraw prosecution and drop charges, the court still has an active role. Judicial scrutiny takes place to determine whether the decision is justifiable," Pahwa noted.
"In this instance, the US Federal Court played a vital role. Hence, the court asked the Department of Justice to submit an affidavit. It sought responses to specific queries and required a formal reply. It asked the court to further elaborate on the grounds. Only after verifying that the withdrawal was fully justifiable did the court accept it. Therefore, the judiciary played a crucial role in this outcome," he added.
Earlier, following the judicial order, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani responded to the dismissal, acknowledging the ruling and reaffirming trust in the legal system.
"I welcome the US court's decision with humility and deep respect for the judicial process. Throughout this challenging period, our faith in truth, fairness and the rule of law remained unwavering. My deepest gratitude to those who never lost faith in us, in the system and in India's capacity for justice," Adani said.
"We will continue doing what matters: building for our nation, creating value that outlasts us and serving a purpose larger than ourselves. That is our commitment. Jai Hind," he added.