The court held that the Adani-led joint venture demanded and received Rs 1,400+ crore for road transport costs, even though its contract required delivery only up to a railway siding.
It accused the firm of “wrongful gain” and benefiting from its own contractual default, noting that it failed to build required railway infrastructure.
The court fined the company Rs 50 lakh and asked the state to ask the Comptroller and Auditor General to audit the deal — though these directions were later stayed by the Rajasthan High Court.
Jaipur Court Rules Adani-Led Company Wrongfully Gained Over Rs 1,400 Crore From Rajasthan PSU
A Jaipur district court has found that an Adani-led coal mining firm secured more than Rs 1,400 crore from a state electricity utility through transportation charges it was not contractually entitled to. The court imposed a Rs 50-lakh fine and called for a CAG audit.
Summary
A Jaipur district court has held that an Adani-led coal mining firm wrongly recovered more than Rs 1,400 crore in transportation charges from a Rajasthan state electricity utility, the Scroll reported.
The court found that while the contract between the two parties required the company to deliver coal only up to the nearest railway line, it instead billed the state company for road transport — a cost not envisioned in the formal agreement.
The court was critical of the company’s performance, noting it failed to build the required rail siding from the mine to the railway, yet still passed the entire cost of road transport to the state utility.
It observed that the firm “benefited despite committing default in performance” and accused it of seeking “additional profit by avoiding interest burden.”
On this basis, the court imposed a Rs 50-lakh penalty on the company and directed the state government to ask the Comptroller and Auditor General to audit the entire coal-mining deal. However, these directives were stayed by the Rajasthan High Court after the Adani-led firm filed an appeal.
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