Gautam Adani bribery, fraud case: Bribery allegations against Odisha govt officials false, says BJD

Chairman of Adani group, Gautam Adani. File Pic

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) which was in power in Odisha from 2000 till June 2024, on Friday, firmly dismissed allegations that state government officials accepted bribes from the Adani Group in relation to renewable energy supply agreements and described these claims as "false and not based on fact," reported the PTI.

The controversy arises from charges filed by the US Department of Justice against Adani Group, its chairman Gautam Adani, and seven others, including his nephew Sagar Adani.

They are accused of bribing officials in multiple states, including Odisha, to secure contracts for solar power, potentially leading to profits exceeding USD 2 billion over two decades.

In response to the allegations, the Adani Group has categorically denied any wrongdoing, labelling the US prosecutors' claims as "baseless" and that the conglomerate is "compliant with all laws."

Former Odisha Energy Minister and BJD MLA, PK Deb, stated that the allegations are unfounded and emphasised that the Odisha government has no involvement in the agreements related to power supply.

"The Government of Odisha has nothing to do with the agreement. Whatever agreement was done that remained confined among Gridco, the distribution company and the SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited), a central PSU. The state government has no role in all these matters though the administration was informed regarding the PSA", Deb told PTI.

He claimed that there is a difference in power distribution between Odisha and other states.

"We in Odisha have privatised the power distribution while other states are doing the job directly. Here Tata Power is doing the distribution part of the electricity supply", he said, adding that the agreement may involve Adani, SECI, Gridco and the distribution company, stated PTI.

"All the agreements on power get the approval of the OERC (Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission), an autonomous body. The Gridco is also semi-autonomous. Therefore, the state government has no direct role in the agreements. Neither the Energy department minister nor the secretary are involved in all such agreements," Deb said.

Gridco, a state-owned enterprise, is responsible for the bulk purchase and sale of electricity within Odisha and trades surplus power with neighbouring states.

This structure reinforces the argument that the state government does not directly engage in the agreements concerning power distribution.

(With inputs from PTI)