Law Ministry denies receiving US request for assistance in serving summons to Adani
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New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Law and Justice has denied receiving any request from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for assistance in serving summons to Gautam Adani and his nephew in a civil case. This contradicts the SEC’s claim in a New York court that it had sought help from the Indian government under the Hague Service Convention.
According to an RTI reply obtained by The Hindu, the department of legal affairs stated that “no such request [had] been received” as of February 21—three days after the SEC informed the court of its request for assistance.
The SEC had alleged in November that Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, orchestrated a scheme to bribe Indian officials in connection with a solar power project. It accused them of misleading US investors with false claims during a 2021 debt offering by Adani Green Energy.
In a separate case, the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York filed criminal charges against Adani and seven others, alleging conspiracies to commit securities and wire fraud. Five of them were also charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), linked to the alleged $250 million bribery scheme.
The Adani Group has dismissed the allegations as “baseless.”
On February 18, the SEC stated that it had contacted Adani and his legal representatives and had sent them Notices of Lawsuit and Requests for Waiver of Service of Summons. It also confirmed that it had requested assistance from India’s Ministry of Law and Justice under Article 5(a) of the Hague Service Convention.
India and the US are signatories to the Hague Service Convention, which facilitates judicial document exchanges between member countries. The SEC informed the court that the process of serving summons was ongoing and that it would continue efforts as per Rule 4 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP), keeping the court updated on developments.
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Punjab: Blast near army cantt area in Amritsar, hours after explosion in Jalandhar
Chandigarh (PTI): An explosion occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night in Punjab's Amritsar, the second such incident which took place around three hours after a blast outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar.
According to the police, an investigation into both blast incidents is currently underway, and no injuries have been reported.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar, while the second blast occurred at approximately 11 pm in Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. "Our teams arrived on the scene immediately," he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP.
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Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar Rural Superintendent of Police Aditya S. Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by the loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
Before the Amritsar explosion, a blast took place outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 pm on Tuesday, causing panic in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
The blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. It belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet's relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud sound following the explosion.
On April 27, an explosion occurred at a freight corridor rail track in Shambhu in Patiala. Police had arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, for the blast.
In light of these incidents, opposition parties have condemned the AAP government for its handling of the situation.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, over the recent blasts.
"Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day, May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters and Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track. Continued intelligence failures and the collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy with mimicry and cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office," Badal said in a post on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the two blasts.
"Back-to-back blasts have shaken Punjab. Yesterday in Jalandhar, and now near Khasa Camp in Amritsar, this is deeply alarming. Who is trying to destabilise our state? Why has the Punjab Government failed to prevent such incidents? What is the Government of India doing? Repeated lapses point to a serious breakdown of intelligence and security. Punjab's peace cannot be compromised. We demand accountability and immediate action," Warring said in a post on X.
