Daily Briefing: From Adani’s legal relief to Brij Bhushan’s acquittal and Blinkit’s cockroach trouble

Good morning,

The US federal judge dismissed criminal fraud and bribery charges against billionaire Gautam Adani, who was accused of paying bribes to Indian officials for solar-energy contracts and misleading US investors about his company's anti-corruption practices. Judge Nicholas Garaufis approved the Justice Department's request to drop the charges but questioned if Adani's $10 billion US investment pledge influenced the decision.

The judge criticized the handling of the case, noting irregularities involving a Justice Department official working with Adani's lawyers while excluding prosecutors. This dismissal does not mean the original charges lacked merit.

Regarding political developments, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to make a statement in Parliament to address allegations of a police crackdown on student protesters in Delhi. The government urged the Opposition not to disrupt his statement, but opposition leader Rahul Gandhi demanded clarification on who authorized the alleged police action and asserted the issue is about accountability. BJP President J P Nadda accused Gandhi of seeking "anarchy" and challenged him to participate in the House.

In Jharkhand, thousands of job aspirants and students protested alleged irregularities in state recruitment exams, demanding a CBI probe. The protest turned violent as police used water cannons, lathicharge and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, resulting in injuries and health issues among the protesters. The Jharkhand government agreed to cancel three exams and order an ED probe into financial irregularities at the Jharkhand Public Service Commission.

In other news, a Delhi court acquitted former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual harassment case, citing discrepancies in the complainants' accounts as "fatal" to the prosecution's case. The controversy surrounding the TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) controversy continues, with Mumbai Police issuing notices to two TISS professors for allegedly sending suspicious WhatsApp messages to a former student.

The investigation relates to a campus gathering where students are believed to have raised slogans demanding the release of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who are jailed under the UAPA.