NATIONAL

U.S. Court Dismisses Adani Bribery Charges, Closing Two-Year Case

A federal judge in New York permanently dismissed criminal fraud and bribery charges against Adani Group’s Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and former Adani Green CEO Vneet Jaain. The ruling ends the case before trial, while a separate SEC civil settlement saw the group pay a $6 million penalty.

By Open Vaartha Desk · 2026-08-11

What happened

TL;DR

U.S. judge dismisses Adani bribery case with prejudice, ending criminal proceedings before trial.

Key points

Criminal charges against Gautam Adani, nephew Sagar Adani, and former Adani Green CEO Vneet Jaain were dismissed with prejudice by a New York federal judge
Dismissal was based on the government’s argument that alleged compliance statements amounted to non‑actionable puffery
The SEC civil case concluded with a $6 million penalty paid by Gautam Adani, without admission of wrongdoing
Judge Nicholas Garaufis required prosecutors to explain the dismissal and defendants to file sworn declarations confirming no quid‑pro‑quo
Adani Group welcomed the ruling, emphasizing humility and a continued focus on building value

A U.S. federal court has brought an abrupt end to a high‑profile criminal case that has shadowed the Adani Group for nearly two years. On August 11, 2026, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted the Justice Department’s Rule 48(a) motion, dismissing with prejudice the indictment that accused chairman Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and former Adani Green CEO Vneet Jaain of a $250 million bribery scheme and investor‑misleading conduct.The indictment, unsealed in November 2024, alleged that the three defendants conspired to pay bribes to Indian officials to secure solar‑power contracts and that they misled investors while raising more than $3 billion in U.S. capital markets. The Adani Group has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The dismissal does not constitute a judicial finding on the merits; it merely bars the government from refiling the same charges.Judge Nicholas Garaufis approved the motion after requiring the prosecutors to publicly explain their decision and ordering the defendants to file sworn declarations confirming that no quid‑pro‑quo or undisclosed agreement influenced the alleged contracts. The court accepted the government’s argument that certain statements about Adani Green’s compliance policies could be characterized as “inactionable puffery,” a legal concept that renders such claims non‑actionable and poses a risk of over‑criminalizing ordinary corporate rhetoric.While the government also raised jurisdictional challenges and pointed to the absence of direct investor losses, the judge noted that those arguments were unnecessary to resolve because the puffery rationale alone justified dismissal. No witnesses were examined, no evidence was tested, and no factual determinations were made regarding the underlying allegations.In a parallel civil proceeding, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission concluded its case with Gautam Adani agreeing to a $6 million penalty, again without admitting the allegations. Following the criminal dismissal, Adani issued a statement saying he received the ruling “with humility and deep respect for the judicial process,” and affirmed that the group would continue “building for our nation” and creating long‑term value.The case’s closure marks the end of a protracted legal saga that has drawn intense scrutiny to the Adani conglomerate’s overseas fundraising and its alleged ties to Indian officials. Analysts note that while the criminal charges are gone, the reputational impact and the civil settlement remain part of the broader narrative surrounding the group’s rapid expansion and regulatory challenges.