In a significant move, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seeking court approval to directly serve summons via email to Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and a group executive, bypassing the Indian government after previous attempts to do so were declined. The SEC's action is linked to allegations of fraud and a $265 million bribery scheme involving the Adani Group.

The SEC has been trying to serve Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani since last year. The agency's attempts to serve the summons through the Indian Ministry of Law and Justice, the designated Central Authority under the Hague Convention, began in February 2025. However, these attempts have been met with resistance. The Ministry of Law and Justice twice refused to serve the documents. The first rejection occurred in April 2025, citing missing seals and signatures that the SEC argued were not required under the Hague Convention. A second rejection came in December 2025, with the ministry appearing to raise doubts about the SEC's authority to request service of summons. The SEC has dismissed these objections as "baseless".

In response, the SEC has now asked a New York court for permission to serve the summonses via email, arguing that previous attempts via diplomatic channels have been unresponsive and caused delays. The SEC told the court it "does not expect service to be completed" through the Hague Convention. The agency is seeking permission under Rule 4(f)(3) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to serve the summonses and complaint on the Adanis through their U.S.-based lawyers and by email to their business addresses, arguing that this would provide "effective notice". The SEC contends that the Adanis are aware of the case and are managing their response to it.

The legal action stems from a civil complaint filed by the SEC on November 20, 2024, against Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Green Energy Ltd, and his nephew Sagar Adani, the company's executive director. The complaint alleges that they orchestrated a bribery scheme involving payments or promises totaling hundreds of millions of dollars to Indian government officials. The charges relate to a September 2021 bond offering by Adani Green that raised over $175 million from U.S. investors, with the SEC claiming that offering materials contained false or misleading statements about the company's anti-corruption programs. A parallel criminal case was also filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, charging the Adanis and others with securities fraud conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, and securities fraud.

The Adani Group has denied the allegations, calling them "baseless" and vowing to pursue "all possible legal recourse".

Following the news of the SEC's move, shares of Adani Group firms experienced a downturn. On Friday, January 23, 2026, Adani Enterprises, the group's flagship company, fell as much as 9.1% to ₹1,890.23, its lowest since May 19, 2023. Other Adani Group stocks also saw declines, with Adani Green Energy dropping as much as 13.1%. Overall, Adani Energy Solutions was down 4.8%, and Adani Green Energy was down 4.9%.