Adani-Hindenburg Case - In Sebi's Court

The Supreme Court ruling in the Adani-Hindenburg matter has made it clear that Sebi is the sole authority that will look into the allegations against the conglomerate

-  ASHISH RUKHAIYAR

A LITTLE UNDER one year. That’s the time it took for the Adani-Hindenburg matter to reach its conclusion in the Supreme Court— from January 24, 2023, the day the US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research released a report accusing the Indian conglomerate of stock manipulation and financial fraud.

On January 3, 2024, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, dismissed requests for creating a special investigation team (SIT) or transferring the probe into the allegations levelled by Hindenburg against the Adani Group to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It reposed faith in capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).

But this issue is far from over. Sebi is still conducting a probe related to certain allegations made by the US-based entity.

Without a doubt, the past year has been the most tumultuous in the history of the Adani Group, whose business interests span sectors like infrastructure, green energy, cement and FMCG.

The impact of the Hindenburg report was such that the conglomerate’s listed entities shed around $150 billion (`12.41 lakh crore) in market capitalisation just a month following its release.