Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday attacked the government for trying to save Gautam Adani by sacking Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) CMD R K Gupta a month before his term was to conclude.

“The public sector SECI was indicted on November 20, 2024, by US authorities in the chargesheet against Gautam Adani and his close associates. It was based on SECI’s recommendation that different states entered into purchase agreements with Adani. Bribes worth ₹2,029 crores were then reportedly offered and promised to Indian Government officials in exchange for these agreements, which were then finalised,” Ramesh said in a tweet on X.

In an implicit admission of corruption, in December 2024, SECI changed the way its issues power tenders. Now the CMD of SECI, occupied by a post-retirement bureaucrat appointed by the Modi Govt., has been sacked just a month before his tenure ends, he added.

“Meanwhile the Indian government has yet to respond to repeated requests by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to serve summons to Adani and the others accused. Despite the attempts at the highest levels, the Modani MegaScam cannot be covered up,” the senior Congress leader said.

Adani Solar Controversy

In November last year, a New York court charged Gautam Adani for alleged involvement to pay around $265 million, or roughly ₹2,029 crore, bribe to state government officials In India for favourable terms in solar power purchase contracts.

SECI’s role came under question after the US court order over bribery allegations on Gautam Adani revealed that SECI facilitated his company’s contracts with the state electricity boards despite the high price of the power.

“The defendants Sagar R Adani and Vneet S Jaain and other Indian Energy Company personnel also secretly influenced the SECI process for reallocation of the 2.3 GW PPAs to the Indian Energy Company’s subsidiary, including by directing the US Issuer’s admissions to SECI and by obtaining and revising internal SECI documents,” the court document stated.

At that time Gupta had told the media “SECI will not be reviewing the order or initiating a probe now on the issue as there is no basis for that. There is no document with us other than the order, on the basis of which we could comment on the issue. I have heard of it only from the media. Further, I am not sure whether any norms have been violated and if anybody has been named in the order.”

Published on May 12, 2025