Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, stepped up a call for the arrest of billionaire Gautam Adani over a statement issued by the Adani Group declaring that neither he nor his nephew Sagar Adani was charged with any violation in relation to the U.S. FCPA amidst the indictment by U.S. authorities in a case about bribery.
During a news conference at the steps of Parliament, which is in the midst of its Winter Session, Gandhi appeared to be dismissive of denials to the effect made by the Adani Group. “It goes without saying that Gautam Adani would not say the charges are correct. When hundreds of people are jailed on lesser charges in this country, why is Adani not in jail?”
The Adani Group is accused of securities fraud, which involves monetary penalties. In response to the group’s denials, Gandhi said, “You think the Adanis are going to accept the charges? Which world are you living in? Obviously, he is going to deny the charges.”
He went on to urge for action to be taken with “The point is, he has to be arrested. Hundreds of people are being arrested on trivial offenses, yet he has been indicted in the United States on very big accounts. He should be in jail. The government is protecting him.
Gandhi has constantly raised questions about the Adani Group, especially during election campaigns, and was one of the first to demand Adani’s arrest after the bribery allegations surfaced. On the other hand, defending Adani, his lawyer Mukul Rohtagi said there are no specific charges against Adani or his associates, describing the bribery accusations as vague and imprecise about the details of the alleged misconduct.
