A U.S. federal judge on Monday dismissed criminal fraud and bribery charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, ending nearly two years of legal proceedings. The decision came after the Justice Department requested the case be dropped in May 2025, a move the presiding judge described as highly unusual and lacking sufficient justification.
Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the Eastern District of New York granted the prosecution’s rare request to dismiss the indictment, but not without scrutiny. In a 47-page ruling, Garaufis criticized Trent McCotter, the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, for making the decision to drop the case without input from the FBI, SEC, or the prosecutors who initially brought the charges. The judge also noted that McCotter’s decision appeared to be made in collaboration with defense counsel, a process Garaufis called irregular.
The charges, filed in November 2024, alleged that Adani and others agreed to pay $250 million in bribes to Indian government officials to secure approval for a solar energy plant. Prosecutors further claimed Adani misled U.S. investors by providing false assurances about the Adani Group’s anti-corruption practices. The Adani Group has consistently denied wrongdoing, and Adani himself did not appear in U.S. court to respond to the charges.
Judge Garaufis’s concerns extended beyond the procedural irregularities. He directly questioned whether Adani’s November 2024 pledge to invest $10 billion in the U.S. played a role in the Justice Department’s decision to drop the case. While the judge did not find evidence of an explicit quid pro quo, he noted the timing and circumstances raised legitimate questions about the motivations behind the dismissal.
The Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the case cited a review of resources and stated that further prosecution was not warranted. However, Garaufis’s ruling highlighted that McCotter’s decision contradicted the recommendations of the agencies and attorneys involved in the original investigation. The judge also refused to dismiss two counts against five co-defendants, citing insufficient reasoning from the prosecution for dropping those charges.
Adani, through a statement on X (formerly Twitter), welcomed the court’s decision, expressing humility and respect for the judicial process. He reaffirmed his confidence in the rule of law and reiterated the Adani Group’s denial of any wrongdoing. Legal experts noted that U.S. judges have limited authority to compel prosecutors to pursue cases they no longer wish to litigate, but emphasized that judicial approval is required to formally dismiss charges.
The case, which originated under the final months of the Biden administration, survived a subsequent review ordered by President Donald Trump into pending foreign bribery prosecutions. The dismissal marks one of several high-profile white-collar cases dropped during Trump’s second term, raising questions about political influence in prosecutorial decisions.
Legal analysts described the ruling as a rare judicial rebuke of a senior Justice Department official’s conduct, particularly given the lack of transparency in how the dismissal decision was reached. The case’s dismissal does not preclude future civil actions or regulatory penalties, though no such steps have been announced.
The Adani Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates with interests in ports, energy, cement, and media, has faced ongoing scrutiny over its business practices in India and abroad. The dismissal of the U.S. case removes a significant legal threat but leaves unresolved allegations of corruption tied to the solar energy project in India.
As of Monday, the charges against Adani and his co-defendants are formally dismissed, though the judge’s ruling leaves open questions about the process and motivations behind the Justice Department’s decision.