No Grounds for CBI Probe: Bombay HC Dismisses Petition Against Adani Green Energy

In a major relief to the Adani Group’s Adani Green Energy Ltd, the Bombay High Court on March 27 dismissed a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations that the company paid bribes to secure solar power contracts in several States.

A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Suman Shyam said that the petitioner, Jitendra Maru, had mainly relied on documents that are part of proceedings pending before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

According to Maru, the Ministry of Renewable Energy had set up the Solar Energy Corporation of India to promote renewable energy in the country. He claimed that various State governments entered into power purchase agreements for electricity distribution, and in 2020, Adani Green Energy allegedly conspired with Azure Global Ltd to secure contracts through unlawful means.

Maru alleged that the companies created multi-million-dollar pension funds to bribe unknown government officials. He claimed that the scheme involved paying over Rs 2,000 crore in bribes to officials of State power distribution companies (DISCOMs) in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh.

He further claimed that the alleged payments were documented as electronic evidence maintained by Adani Green Energy. According to him, this material was later seized by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and reproduced in proceedings before US courts.

In his plea, Maru also cited an order passed by the US District Court in the Eastern District of New York, alleging that the incentives proposed by Adani Green Energy were actually bribes. He relied on a November 24, 2024, order for a jury trial, which proposed issuing notice to certain company officials, including the Chairman, Executive Director and Managing Director. He also cited a US Department of Justice indictment and a parallel civil enforcement complaint by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

However, the High Court noted that Maru failed to provide any further details about the status or continuation of the proceedings in the US court. Finding no sufficient material to order a CBI probe, the bench dismissed the petition.