A US federal judge has dismissed the criminal case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, but accompanied the decision with a scathing criticism of the Justice Department’s handling of the prosecution.
In a 47-page ruling, US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis approved the government’s request to drop the case while questioning the conduct of Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, who had argued that the indictment should be dismissed. Garaufis said McCotter appeared to substitute the judgment of career prosecutors and investigators with his own, despite not being directly involved in building the case.
The judge said McCotter appeared to have worked closely with Adani’s legal team while seemingly excluding FBI investigators, Securities and Exchange Commission officials and prosecutors from the Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office who had investigated the alleged misconduct. Garaufis described that process as “highly unusual” and said it reflected a lack of respect for the judiciary as a co-equal branch of government.
Garaufis also rejected McCotter’s claim that the indictment had been brought during the final months of the Biden administration simply to “name and shame” Adani. The ruling said there was no evidence to support allegations that the prosecution was politically motivated, calling the assertion “unbecoming” of a senior Justice Department official.
The original indictment, filed in late 2024, accused Adani and several associates of orchestrating an alleged scheme in which more than $250 million in bribes were paid to Indian government officials to secure lucrative solar energy contracts. Prosecutors alleged the defendants concealed the scheme while raising funds from US investors and global financial institutions through misleading statements.
Adani welcomed the ruling, saying he accepted the decision with humility and deep respect for the judicial process. In a post on X, he thanked those who had continued to place their faith in the legal system and said his group would remain focused on building for the nation.
While the dismissal removes one of the biggest legal challenges facing the Adani Group in the United States, the ruling is equally notable for its unusually direct criticism of the Justice Department. Rather than disputing the government’s authority to withdraw the case, Garaufis questioned the process through which that decision was reached, placing the department’s internal decision-making under the spotlight.
