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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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
