The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to face delays in serving legal summons to Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, in connection with a civil case alleging their involvement in a $265 million bribery scheme. Despite initiating formal procedures under the Hague Service Convention in February 2025, the summons has yet to be officially delivered.
The SEC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in November 2024, alleging that Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani, and others were involved in a bribery scheme to secure renewable energy contracts in India. The complaint also accuses the Adani Group of making false and misleading statements to U.S. investors regarding its internal compliance mechanisms and anti-corruption policies.
According to the latest court filing dated June 27, 2025, the SEC reported that India’s Ministry of Law and Justice had forwarded the documents to a district court in Ahmedabad in March. However, there has been no confirmation from the court regarding the service of summons. The U.S. court has now requested the SEC to submit another status update by August 11, 2025.
These legal developments emerge amid continued public scrutiny of the Adani Group. At the company’s Annual General Meeting on June 24, 2025, Gautam Adani addressed the allegations, stating that no one in the group has been charged under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) or with obstruction of justice. He emphasized that the group operates in compliance with global legal standards.
The SEC's civil case is based on allegations that Adani executives used middlemen to pay bribes to Indian officials between 2019 and 2021 to win energy contracts valued at over $2 billion. The commission claims that the Adani Group misrepresented the integrity of its governance structure to raise over $750 million from U.S. investors.
As legal proceedings stall due to procedural delays in India, the international implications of the case continue to unfold. Legal experts suggest that the court may consider alternative steps if the summons are not served by the next hearing date. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice’s separate criminal investigation is ongoing but independent of the SEC’s civil proceedings.
The case remains a significant test of cross-border legal enforcement and corporate accountability, especially given the Adani Group's global investment profile and the geopolitical sensitivities surrounding its operations.