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A US judge has demanded the Justice Department provide a clearer explanation for its decision to drop criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis, based in Brooklyn, stated that the prosecutors' announcement on May 18 did not sufficiently justify their move to abandon the case, which accused Adani of securities fraud and wire fraud related to an alleged bribery scheme.

Judge Garaufis has given federal prosecutors until July 13 to submit more information. He noted that the Justice Department's "terse, bland and conclusory statement" offered no basis for the court to reach a conclusion or conduct an analysis of the dismissal request. The charges were initially brought in 2024 during the end of President Joe Biden's term and their dismissal marks a recent instance of the Justice Department ending a high-profile white-collar prosecution under President Donald Trump's second term.

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The Government's terse, ​bland and conclusory statement affords the court neither a sufficient basis to reach any conclusion, nor the opportunity to conduct ​any analysis of the Government's request for dismissal.

While US judges typically have limited power to force prosecutors to continue with cases they wish to abandon, the charges remain officially pending until the judge formally dismisses them. Adani Group has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and Adani himself has not appeared in US court to face the charges. His lawyers have argued that the case falls outside US jurisdiction and that prosecutors would struggle to prove the alleged bribery occurred in India.

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The DOJ’s decision reflects its careful consideration of the indictment’s legal and factual weaknesses.