A recent petition filed in the Supreme Court of India seeks a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into serious allegations of bribery involving Adani Green Energy Ltd. and its affiliates. The plea, brought forward by social activist Jitendra Punamchand Maru, claims that bribes amounting to ₹2,029 crore were paid to officials and power distribution companies across various Indian states to secure solar power contracts. The case, known as Jitendra Maru vs. CBI, raises significant questions about corporate ethics and governmental integrity.
Background of the Allegations
The accusations suggest that Adani Green Energy, alongside Azure Global, a Delhi-headquartered renewable energy firm, orchestrated a bribery scheme. This purported scheme involved paying over ₹2,000 crore in bribes to state power distribution companies (DISCOMs) in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Jammu and Kashmir. The goal was to manipulate these officials into accepting power purchase agreements at inflated prices.
Previously, Maru had approached the Bombay High Court, seeking a CBI investigation based on evidence from a U.S. criminal indictment and similar proceedings by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). However, the High Court dismissed his petition on March 27, citing it as an abuse of the judicial process and questioning Maru’s bona fides and locus standi.
Contentions and Legal Proceedings
Maru contests the High Court’s ruling, emphasizing that there is no evidence to suggest he is a competitor, disgruntled individual, or acting on behalf of a rival business entity. He argues that the court’s decision failed to provide a clear explanation of any alleged private interest or ulterior motive on his part. Maru, a retired former plastics business owner, maintains that if the court had doubts about his intentions, he should have been allowed to clarify his background through an affidavit.
The appeal also challenges the High Court’s assessment of delay, noting that the alleged offenses took place between 2020 and 2024. Maru asserts that the details of the U.S. legal proceedings only became public in November 2024. He acquired certified copies of the U.S. Department of Justice indictment and SEC civil complaints in January 2025, subsequently filing complaints with the CBI in October before moving to the High Court in November.
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Seeking Supreme Court Intervention
The allegations stem from a 2019 tender issued by the Solar Energy Corporation of India for solar projects linked to manufacturing. Adani Green and Azure were awarded projects to supply 8 and 4 gigawatts of solar power, respectively. The appeal claims that state distribution companies were initially hesitant to purchase the power due to high tariffs, leading to alleged bribes being paid to secure supply agreements in states including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Maru is requesting the Supreme Court to overturn the Bombay High Court’s judgment and order the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) alongside a CBI investigation into the claims. The petition has been filed with the assistance of advocate Ashishkumar Madanprasad Verma.
