Why Adani is not in jail when several are arrested on ‘tiny’ charges, asks Rahul Gandhi

Earlier, Adani’s lawyer Mukul Rohtagi said there are no specific charges against the businessman and the accusations of bribery are very general and no specifics on who gave the bribe to whom are not specified

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (November 27, 2024) said businessman Gautam Adani should be arrested after his indictment in the U.S. and accused the government of protecting him.

When Mr. Gandhi was questioned by reporters outside the Parliament today, he asked, “Hundreds of people have been arrested in far tiny charges. why is Adani not in jail?”

Asked about the Adani group denying all the charges, he said, “Do you think he is going to accept the charges? Which [world] are you living in brother?”

The reiteration by Mr. Gandhi comes hours after the Adani Group said the billionaire and his nephew Sagar Adani have not been charged with any violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in the indictment filed by U.S. authorities in a court in a bribery case.

The duo has been charged with securities fraud that involves levy of monetary penalties.

“The point is he has to be arrested. As we have said, hundreds of people are being arrested on tiny charges and the gentleman has been indicted in the United States for thousands of crores. He should be in jail... The government is protecting him,” the former Congress chief said.

Mr. Gandhi was the first to demand the arrest of Adani after charges of alleged bribery were made out by the U.S. against the businessman.

Earlier, Adani’s lawyer Mukul Rohtagi said there are no specific charges against the businessman or his associates and the accusations of bribery are very general and no specifics on who gave the bribe to whom are not specified.

(With inputs from PTI)

Published - November 27, 2024 12:38 pm IST