Allegations that we have been investigating Adani since 2016 baseless: Sebi

Sebi also sought an extension of the deadline to complete the probe to ensure 'carriage of justice'

On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) told the Supreme Court that it had not probed any Adani company since 2016 and the allegations that it has been doing so are "factually baseless". It also sought an extension of the deadline to complete the probe of the ellegations in the Hindenburg report.

"An extension of time is needed to complete the probe in the Hindenburg report case to ensure carriage of justice," it said, according to a tweet shared by Bar & Bench.

It also said that any incorrect or premature conclusion of its probe into possible lapses of regulatory disclosures by billionaire Gautam Adani's eponymous group would not serve the interest of justice and would be legally untenable, news agency Reuters reported.

 

In a court filing, Sebi said that it has already approached eleven overseas regulators for information to examine if the Adani group had violated any norms regarding its publicly available shares.

Last week, the apex court said that it may grant a three-month extension to probe into the allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani Group and lapses in regulations. The Sebi had asked the court for a six-month extension.

A bench of chief justices DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said the court registry had received the report of the apex court-appointed AM Sapre committee on the issue and would like to hear the matter on Monday after perusing the findings of the panel.

"We will go through the report in the meantime. We will take up the matter on May 15," the bench said.

On March 2, the SC had asked Sebi to probe the crash of Adani group stocks following the Hindenburg report. It also asked the regulatory body to suggest ways to strengthen the regulatory framework to protect the interest of the investors.

The apex court also set up a six-member expert committee to determine if there was any regulatory failure to deal with the issue. The committee was asked to submit the report in a sealed cover in two months. The chairman of Sebi was also ordered to provide all the relevant information to the committee.

In April, Sebi moved the SC and sought a six-month extension to complete its probe.