• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

US SEC will have to serve the summons notices to Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani in alleged Rs 2,200 crore bribery scandal through proper diplomatic channels as it has no jurisdiction to call foreign nationals directly, a PTI report stated citing sources.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sought clarification from the Adani Group regarding allegations of bribery to secure lucrative solar power contracts. However, the request must adhere to diplomatic protocols, including routing through the Indian Embassy in the US, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lacks jurisdiction over foreign nationals and cannot directly send notices to them by post. Such matters are governed by the 1965 Hague Convention and the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between India and the US, which outline the procedural requirements for such requests.

ALSO READ: Adani's Coal Plant Deal With Bangladesh Under Scanner As Investigation Begins Into Energy Projects

According to sources, the summons, part of a legal docket filed by the SEC in a New York court, will take time to be formally served on the Adani Group, as it must follow these established protocols.

No summons has been served on Adanis so far, the agency added.

"Within 21 days after service of this summons on you (not counting the day you received it)... you must serve on the plaintiff (SEC) an answer to the attached complaint or a motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure," said the US SEC notice of November 21 notice being set through New York Eastern District Court.

"If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. You also must file your answer or motion with the court," it added.

ALSO READ: Sambhal Violence: 3 Dead, Many Injured In Jama Masjid Survey Clash; Oppn Slams Yogi Govt; NSA Likely On Rioters

Gautam Adani, 62, and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar, who is director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, allegedly agreed to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years, according to an indictment unsealed in a New York court on Wednesday.

(With PTI Inputs)