Congress MP Manish Tewari urged for parliamentary discussion, bringing attention to concerns about regulatory accountability, while advocate Mahesh Jethmalani characterized the US indictment claiming bribery by the Adani Group as "politically motivated."
Adani bribery claims are dismissed by Mahesh Jethmalani as unfounded.
Manish Tewari demands that the Indian Parliament investigate the US indictment.
Adani was charged by a US court for allegedly paying bribery in solar contracts.
Mahesh Jethmalani, a senior counsel, BJP politician, and former Rajya Sabha MP, discussed the controversy surrounding the Adani Group's alleged bribery on Wednesday, calling the accusations "politically motivated" and "baseless."
Jethmalani attacked the indictment in a US court, saying it was a "weak" and "malafide" attempt to damage the name of one of India's top industrial firms, in an interview with India Today TV.
Jethmalani drew attention to discrepancies in claims that officials of the Adani Group had offered or paid bribes to land contracts for renewable energy projects in Andhra Pradesh. "There is no consummated offence here — only the inchoate offence of conspiracy, which is extremely difficult to prove," he said.
"There is no proof that bribes were paid in reality. Should bribes be paid, the indictment would explicitly identify the bribe-takers, state the sums, and record the dates and locations of the transactions," he continued.
The opposition Congress jumped on the charge without any supporting evidence, according to Jethmalani. Using such materials to make political accusations against the BJP-led administration, he contended, was improper and against India's interests. "It is unfair for an entire political party to rely on a scrap of paper called an indictment without evidence and condemn a man," stated the politician.
Jethmalani responded to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's comments that demanded action from Indian investigative agencies, saying, "The Congress says this is a moment of reckoning for agencies like the ED, CBI, and SEBI. What reckoning, though, is possible in the absence of proof? Speculation alone is insufficient for these agencies to conduct investigations.
Senior counsel and Congress MP Manish Tewari stated in a separate interview with India Today TV that the Indian Parliament needs to address the US indictment against the Adani Group. He also questioned the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi) responsibility.
Without delving into the specifics of the indictments, the Indian Parliament must consider the message this conveys to the outside community about India's economic climate.Recalling the Hindenburg report from 2023 and the ensuing controversy that even resulted in the Supreme Court's involvement, the truth is that the regulator is regulated. What were the Securities and Exchange Commission doing if they were unable to uncover apparent inconsistencies and irregularities with the Adani Conglomerate? Tiwari asked.
Tewari responded to the Adani Group's defenders who believed the US indictment was "politically motivated" by stating that America protects its political independence and that the country's judiciary and executive branches are separated by a concrete wall.
"We can all tilt at windmills and have our respective conspiracy theories, but be that as it may, I think the larger systemic institutional issue which the indictment of certain companies of the Adani Group has thrown up deserves the attention of the Indian Parliament and should not be swept unde the carpet," he said.
Gautam Adani, his nephew, and a number of other people were indicted by a US court last week for allegedly offering Rs 2,029 crore in bribes to Indian state government officials in order to obtain solar power contracts between 2020 and 2024.
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