‘Conflict of interest’: Plea in Supreme Court for fresh panel on Adani probe
Hindustan TimesOne of the petitioners in the Adani-Hindenburg case has requested the Supreme Court to reconstitute the panel of experts to investigate into the accusations of regulatory failure and breach of laws against the conglomerate, alleging conflict of interest of three of the six-member panel that is headed by a retired apex court judge. It is therefore respectfully prayed, a fresh expert committee may be constituted by this Hon’ble Court with experts from the field of finance, law and stock market with impeccable integrity, and who have no conflict of interest in the outcome of the instant matter,” prayed Jaiswal’s application. In another application filed on September 11, Jaiswal had alleged that Sebi not only concealed several facts about previous investigations against Adani companies, but also tweaked the regulations to keep the group’s regulatory contraventions and price manipulations undetected. Acting on a clutch of petitions demanding a probe into the matter, the Supreme Court on March 2 set up a six-member panel, led by retired Supreme Court judge AM Sapre, to look into regulatory failure by Sebi and alleged breach of laws by the Adani Group. In its report submitted in May, the committee said the allegations of stock price manipulation or violation of MPS norms by Adani Group companies cannot be proved “at this stage”.