US Regulator seeks court permission to summon Adani bypassing Indian Govt

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has sought permission from a US court to send summons directly via email to Gautam Adani and Adani Group executive Sagar Adani in connection with an alleged fraud and USD 265 million bribery scheme. The move would bypass the Indian government after earlier attempts to serve summons were rejected.

In its court filing dated January 21, the SEC said it does not expect service to be completed through existing diplomatic channels and should therefore be allowed to serve the summons electronically. The regulator stated that India had refused two earlier requests to serve the notices.

The case is among the highest-profile legal matters involving an Indian business group in the United States. The SEC has been attempting since last year to serve summons on Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani as part of its civil action related to alleged bribery and investor misrepresentation.

According to the complaint, Adani Group officials are accused of being involved in a scheme to bribe Indian officials to purchase power generated by Adani Green Energy. The SEC has also alleged that US investors were misled through inaccurate disclosures about the company’s anti-corruption practices.

The Adani Group has denied the allegations, calling them baseless, and said it would pursue all legal remedies to defend itself. The SEC said India’s refusals were based on procedural grounds, including signature and seal requirements, which it argued are not mandated under the Hague Convention.