An attempted ‘interference’ in a legal dispute associated with Mukesh Ambani’s residence prompted an explosive protest by attorney general KK Venugopal before the Supreme Court. The connection has been ignored by the mainstream media although all averments are in the public domain. Newsclick connects the dots in this exclusive analysis.
Global Village Foundation, a Delhi-based “think-tank” with close links to RSS and BJP-led Haryana government, filed a petition that led Supreme Court to stay proceedings of a commission of inquiry instituted by the West Bengal government into allegations that Israeli Pegasus software was used to spy on several Indian politicians, activists, court workers, public servants, and journalists. Why? An exclusive investigation for NewsClick.
An Indian government authority that investigates violations of customs law has alleged that three Adani Group companies have used intermediaries to artificially inflate the prices of imported coal-power goods. This practice, known as over-invoicing, enables companies to enrich a related third party and even to launder money, while passing on costs to consumers. The allegations against the Adani Group companies have bounced around inside the legal system for years, with little progress.
A recent protest against alleged encroachment on pasture by an Adani solar-power project in the western Indian state of Rajasthan was the latest in a series of conflicts spurred by an aggressive plan for huge arrays of solar panels in this arid zone. The sprawling industrial installations threaten ancestral grazing lands, oases and some of the last habitat of the Great Indian Bustard. Such conflicts could be avoided with proper regulation and community consultation.
In a letter to Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Congress MP Kumar Ketkar has claimed that the government is displaying ‘inexplicable tardiness’ in collecting its dues payable by Reliance Industries Limited, the ‘true licensee’ of the telecom spectrum that is used by its ‘front’ company Infotel, which later became its subsidiary, Jio.
An amount not less than Rs 37,500 crore is owed to the government by two bankrupt telecom companies, Reliance Communications and Aircel. How these past dues are to be paid is a contentious issue that was left hanging in the balance by the Supreme Court in its September verdict in the so-called AGR (adjusted gross revenue) case.
On August 31, a Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra approved the decision by electricity regulators to grant Adani Power “compensatory tariffs” amounting to Rs 8,000 crore for electricity generated at its power plant in Rajasthan. The verdict is the seventh judgment since 2019 in which benches headed by him have ruled in favour of Adani group companies.
The recent verdict by the Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, one of his last judgements before retirement, on the so-called AGR or adjusted gross revenues case could lead to the formation of a duopoly in India’s telecom sector.
In a judgement that is expected to be pronounced before September 2, the Supreme Court will decide on a seven-year-long dispute between Rajasthan’s electricity distribution companies and a power generation company in the Adani group. The Adani group company stands to gain over Rs 5,000 crore if the judgement goes in its favour.
