US court orders joint criminal, civil trial against Adani

In a major development, a New York court has ordered to club the three ongoing cases against industrialist Gautam Adani and others on charges of USD 265 million in bribery. The court ruled that the cases would be heard together in a joint trial.

The ruling came as the court noted that the cases stem from similar allegations and transactions. The cases that have been tagged together include US vs Adani and others (the criminal case against Adani), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) vs Adani and others (civil case against Adani), and SEC vs Cabanes (civil case against the other accused).

The court said that the decision had been taken to promote judicial efficiency and avoid conflicting schedules. It will assign all the cases to District Judge Nicholas G Garaufis, who is also overseeing the criminal case against Adani. The court staff have been instructed to carry out the reassignment of the cases.

The order in this regard was issued on December 12, 2024, by the Eastern District New York Court. The details were made public only recently. Subsequently, on December 18, 2024, the cases were officially reassigned to Judge Nicholas G Garaufis and Magistrate Judge James R Cho was directed to oversee the "pre-trial non-dispositive matters".

"Pre-trial non-dispositive matters" refer to legal issues or motions that arise before a trial begins and do not resolve the case itself. These matters involve procedural or preliminary issues that need to be addressed to prepare for the trial but do not decide the final outcome of the case. Adani and others are charged with paying USD 265 million (around Rs 2,029 crore) in bribes to get solar energy contracts with state electricity distribution companies.

Earlier, US prosecutors had alleged that the fact was kept hidden from the US banks and the investors from whom the Adani Group raised funds for the solar energy projects.