'Lacking Substance!' Top SC Lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani on Adani Bribery Case

The Adani bribery case has set off a storm of political debates and discussions in India. While opposition parties relentlessly target industrialist Gautam Adani and his business empire, alleging corruption and misconduct, a top legal expert has come forward to question the validity of these claims. Supreme Court lawyer and former Member of Parliament, Mahesh Jethmalani, has labeled the allegations against Adani as baseless and politically motivated.

Mahesh Jethmalani Dismisses Allegations as Politically Driven

Addressing the growing controversy, Mahesh Jethmalani voiced his opinion on the Adani bribery case, dismissing the allegations as speculative and lacking substance. Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account, Jethmalani shared a video statement, in which he dissected the U.S. indictment and pointed out its supposed flaws.

“The U.S. indictment against #Adani is based on claims, not proven facts. There's no allegation of bribery in India, only a speculative charge of conspiracy to bribe,” he asserted. Jethmalani highlighted that the charges primarily revolve around bond issuances by Adani Green Energy, where the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) inferred, without concrete evidence, that bondholders were not informed of potential violations.

‘Weaponising Judiciary for Political Gains’

Mahesh Jethmalani didn’t stop there. In a scathing critique, he accused what he called the "Democratic deep state" in the U.S. of weaponising its judiciary to destabilise India’s interests. “This is purely political,” he added, alleging that the opposition parties in India, particularly the Congress and the INDI alliance, were using these foreign developments to fuel their domestic agenda.

He further remarked, “Their approach, particularly after their loss in the #MaharashtraElection2024, is a clear attempt to distract. This is not in the country’s interest. Let’s focus on evidence and national priorities, not conjectures and diversions.”

Mukul Rohatgi Supports Adani Group Amid Controversy

Adding to the discourse, another senior lawyer and former Attorney General of India, Mukul Rohatgi, weighed in on the case. Rohatgi firmly rejected the accusations as baseless, reiterating that Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani’s names were not linked to any substantial wrongdoing.

“I have gone through this indictment by the US court. My assessment is that there are 5 charges or 5 counts. Neither in count 1 nor in count 5 is Mr. Adani or his nephew charged. Count number 1 of the indictment is against certain other persons minus the two Adanis. It includes some of their officers and one foreign person,” Rohatgi clarified.