In a significant legal development, a New York court has ordered that three ongoing cases involving industrialist Gautam Adani and others, accused of a USD 265 million bribery scheme, be consolidated for a joint trial. The court ruled that the cases will be heard together due to their shared allegations and related transactions.

The cases that have been combined include US vs Adani and others (the criminal case against Adani), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) vs Adani and others (the civil case), and SEC vs Cabanes (the civil case against other accused individuals). The court emphasized that this decision was made to improve judicial efficiency and to prevent scheduling conflicts. All cases will be assigned to District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, who is already handling the criminal case against Adani. Court staff have been instructed to proceed with the reassignment of these cases.

The charges against Adani and his associates involve allegations of paying bribes amounting to USD 265 million (approximately Rs 2,029 crore) to secure solar energy contracts with state-run electricity distribution companies. Earlier, US prosecutors accused the Adani Group of concealing these payments from US banks and investors who had funded the group’s solar energy initiatives.

The Adani Group has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “baseless.” A company spokesperson reiterated that the group is a law-abiding organization, fully compliant with all regulations, and emphasized that the indictment is based on charges and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.