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ISLAMABAD: The United States has moved to bypass the Indian government to serve legal summons on billionaire Gautam Adani, a long-time ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring growing strains around cross-border legal cooperation and the perception of political shielding in New Delhi.&nbsp;Adani, one of Asia&rsquo;s richest men, has built his conglomerate, spanning ports, power, airports, and energy, in parallel with Modi&rsquo;s rise from Gujarat chief minister to India&rsquo;s prime minister.&nbsp;According to a filing cited by Reuters, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has asked a federal court to allow service of summons by email on Gautam Adani and senior Adani Group executive Sagar Adani.&nbsp;The request came after Indian authorities declined, on two occasions, to deliver the documents through formal diplomatic channels.&nbsp;In its court filing, the SEC said it attempted to use the Hague Service Convention, the standard international mechanism for serving legal papers, but the process stalled after India refused to execute the requests.&nbsp;The regulator told the court that alternative methods were now necessary to prevent further delays in the case.&nbsp;Indian investigative outlet The Wire reported that the Modi government effectively blocked the summons for roughly 14 months, a period during which US authorities received no cooperation from New Delhi.&nbsp;The delay has intensified criticism that India&rsquo;s government is using state machinery to protect politically connected business figures from international scrutiny.&nbsp;The legal maneuver quickly rippled through financial markets. Shares of Adani Group companies fell between 2% and 11% on Friday after news broke that the SEC was seeking court approval to directly email summons to the two executives, according to figures reported by Deccan Herald.&nbsp;At the center of the SEC&rsquo;s action are allegations tied to an alleged bribery and fraud scheme involving Adani Green Energy and solar power contracts in India. US authorities allege that senior figures orchestrated illicit payments to secure lucrative government-backed energy projects, while failing to disclose the risks and payments to American investors.&nbsp;The Financial Times has reported that US investigators allege more than $250 million in bribes were paid to Indian officials to win solar-energy business, and that these payments were concealed from US lenders and shareholders, potentially violating American securities laws.&nbsp;Critics have long argued that Adani&rsquo;s rapid expansion has been enabled by favorable policy decisions, state financing, and political proximity to Modi&rsquo;s government. Indian authorities have consistently denied any wrongdoing or preferential treatment, while opposition parties and civil society groups accuse the government of undermining regulatory independence to protect corporate allies.&nbsp;The SEC&rsquo;s decision to bypass the Indian state marks an unusually blunt rebuke to New Delhi&rsquo;s refusal to cooperate and raises broader questions about India&rsquo;s commitments to international legal norms.&nbsp;For Washington, the move signals impatience with what it sees as obstruction. For India, it reinforces concerns that political power is being used to shield influential figures. At the cost of credibility in global markets and democratic accountability.

India

US regulators sought court approval to directly serve Adani executives after India delayed cooperation, intensifying allegations of concealed bribery, market fallout, and concerns over political protection.

US bypasses India to serve summons on Modi-linked tycoon Adani

ISLAMABAD: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro raised questions over Americans paying for artificial intelligence services used in India in a recent interview with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, Indian media reported. Speaking on the program &ldquo;Real America&rsquo;s Voice,&rdquo; US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s trade advisor Navarro said it was unfair for Americans to subsidize technology infrastructure that serves large overseas user bases. &ldquo;Why are Americans paying for AI in India? ChatGPT operates on US soil and uses American electricity, servicing large users of ChatGPT in India &hellip; and elsewhere around the world,&rdquo; Navarro said during the interview. His remarks focused on the location of data centers and energy use in the United States, arguing that domestic resources were supporting global demand without sufficient benefit returning to American consumers. Navarro also raised concerns about foreign purchases of US agricultural land. He claimed overseas buyers were paying prices far above market value, which he warned could fuel higher food costs in the United States. He said such trends, if left unchecked, could add pressure to food inflation and undermine domestic agricultural interests. The comments come amid broader trade tensions between Washington and New Delhi, particularly over energy and tariff policies. Russian oilAccording to AFP, India increased its purchases of discounted Russian crude oil following Russia&rsquo;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, after Moscow faced sweeping Western sanctions, including restrictions on oil sales.&nbsp; US officials, including Navarro, have criticized the move, with the trade adviser previously referring to it as &ldquo;Modi&rsquo;s war,&rdquo; AFP reported.&nbsp; <p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 2;' id="isPasted">In October last year, Trump said that Modi had assured him India would stop buying Russian oil, describing it as a &ldquo;big step&rdquo; to increase pressure on Moscow. Indian officials later claimed that assertion, saying no such assurance or conversation had taken place.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 2;' id="isPasted"> Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said Monday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was eager to &ldquo;please&rdquo; him, while renewing a warning that Washington could further raise tariffs on India over its continued purchases of Russian oil if New Delhi does not &ldquo;help&rdquo; address the issue.

White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro attends the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum on September 11, 2025 in New York City (Getty Images via AFP)

Peter Navarro raises questions over Americans paying for artificial intelligence services used in India in a recent interview with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

White House adviser questions why Americans bear cost of AI used in India

MUMBAI: India&#39;s state-owned aeronautics firm said Friday it had inked an agreement with US company General Electric to acquire over 100 engines for its domestically designed and built Tejas fighter jets. The deal comes at a time when ties between the US and India have come under strain over President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to impose harsh tariffs as punishment for New Delhi&#39;s purchases of Russian oil. The two nations have yet to secure a trade deal, although Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have adopted a more conciliatory tone on bilateral ties after relations plummeted in August. Over 100 engines&nbsp;On Friday, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said the pact would see GE Aerospace supply 113 engines for an advanced version of the Tejas fighter referred to as Mk1A. &quot;The engine deliveries would be from 2027 to 2032,&quot; HAL said in a statement posted on social media platform X, without offering details on the contract&#39;s value.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1986776331955437654&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=573f2936ea17d6b6d8659866035da40d90bb8df9&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 594px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1986776331955437654"></iframe></div></div>The announcement comes a little over a month after India placed a $7 billion order with HAL for 97 light combat aircraft Mk1A. Arms import&nbsp;One of the world&#39;s largest arms importers, India has made the modernization of its forces a top priority and has made repeated pushes to boost domestic production.

The deal comes at a time when ties between the US and India have come under strain over President Donald Trump's decision to impose harsh tariffs as punishment for New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil.

Articles tagged with "Modi"

US bypasses India to serve summons on Modi-linked tycoon Adani

White House adviser questions why Americans bear cost of AI used in India

India buying over 100 GE engines for its Tejas fighter jets