Billionaire Gautam Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, have agreed to receive a legal notice from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a civil fraud lawsuit alleging bribery, according to a court filing, after more than a year of delay.
Although the stipulation is subject to court approval, the joint application filed by both Adanis and the SEC in a federal court in Brooklyn will give them time to either file their motion to dismiss or file their defence within 90 days, if agreed to by the judge.
The SEC can thereafter file their opposition within a further period of 60 days, and the defendants can file their replies to such opposition within 45 days.
In the joint application (or stipulation), the SEC and US-based lawyers for Gautam and Sagar Adani said the lawyers had agreed to accept service of the regulator’s legal papers, removing the need for a judge to rule on how the defendants should be served.
Adani has hired a prominent Wall Street lawyer, Robert Giuffra Jr, who also counts US President Donald Trump among his clients, to defend him in the case.
In November 2024, the SEC had filed a lawsuit alleging that Gautam and Sagar Adani violated US securities laws by making false and misleading representations about Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL). In addition to the SEC’s civil complaint, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, charged the Adanis and others with allegedly helping to drive a USD 265 million bribery scheme in India to secure solar power contracts.
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While the Adani Group repeatedly denied all accusations made against it or the founder family, both lawsuits were stalled for more than a year since both Adanis were in India and didn’t accept the notices. Last week, the SEC asked a US judge to allow alternative methods to notify them of the suit, including service by email and through other US law firms representing the Adanis.
The joint filing made by the Defendants and SEC in the Eastern District Court of New York, said the SEC on February 17, 2025, “submitted a formal request to India’s Ministry of Law and Justice, Department of Legal Affairs for assistance under the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters but service on the Defendants has not yet been effected”.
On January 21, 2026, the SEC filed a motion and proposed order seeking permission to effect alternative service through Defendants’ US counsel and Defendants’ business emails.
In a stock exchange filing, AGEL, the renewable energy arm of the ports-to-cement conglomerate that Gautam Adani leads, said the defendants’ agreement to accept the notice is a procedural step and that they would seek the dismissal of the SEC’s complaint or file responsive pleadings.
“We understand that on January 30, 2026, Counsel for Defendants filed an application agreeing to accept service on behalf of the Defendants without accepting the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and reserving all defences the Defendants may raise, including as to jurisdiction,” it said.
“We further understand that the Defendants have taken procedural steps and intend to move to dismiss the SEC’s complaint or file responsive pleadings,” it added.
AGEL cited previous statements that claim the Adani duo has not been “charged with violation/(s) of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act i.e. there are no charges of bribery or corruption against the Defendants” and that “company is not a party to these proceedings, and no charges have been brought against it”.
Officials said AGEL business operations continue normally across all jurisdictions and the firm remained focused on “delivering value to its stakeholders”.
The SEC matter will proceed through the appropriate legal channels, they added.
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