Days after a US court dismissed the Department of Justice's criminal case against him, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani addressed the company's over three-lakh-strong workforce on the values that helped the conglomerate navigate one of the most challenging chapters in its history.
Delivering the second edition of "Apni Baat, Apno Ke Saath" ahead of India's 80th Independence Day, Adani said the legal outcome left him with humility rather than a sense of vindication. The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York had dismissed the DoJ case against him on August 10, 2026.
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"Today when this chapter has ended, my faith in the justice system has grown stronger than before," Adani said, adding that he would not describe the outcome as his "stand being vindicated," but rather as an opportunity to look back on a difficult journey with humility.
Adani recalled how the Hindenburg Research report in 2023 had triggered a sharp fall in the group's share prices even as its Follow-on Public Offer (FPO) was underway, causing losses to investors who had put in nearly ₹20,000 crore. Though legally entitled to proceed with the FPO, the group chose to return the entire amount to investors.
"Trust is greater than any legal right," Adani said, noting that while the law grants rights, values determine when those rights should be exercised.
Addressing an Adani Parivar spread across more than 700 locations, Adani said the subsequent legal proceedings in the US tested the group further, but it chose patience over noise, and faith in due process over hasty reactions. "Truth does not need noise. It only needs time," he said.
He credited the group's employees, workers, suppliers and partners for continuing to build the business quietly through the period of scrutiny, calling this collective resilience the group's greatest achievement, above even landmark projects like Mundra Port, the Khavda renewable energy park and the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
Recalling his own journey, Adani spoke of leaving his home in Ahmedabad at the age of 16, and of lessons learnt from his father, Shantilal Adani, about honesty and keeping one's word, and from his mother about sacrifice and simplicity. He also shared an anecdote about meeting Amit Kumar, a young engineer at the Khavda Renewable Energy Park hailing from a village in Bihar, whose reflections reinforced his belief that development must be measured not just by infrastructure but by the hope and dignity it brings to people's lives.
Looking ahead to India's centenary of independence in 2047, Adani said history would remember not just the ports, airports and power plants built, but the lives changed and dreams realised along the way. He urged the Adani Parivar to carry forward the lessons of the past two years with humility, integrity and renewed purpose, calling on them to build institutions rooted in trust that outlast individuals.
The address builds on the inaugural edition of "Apni Baat, Apno Ke Saath," launched on May 1 this year on the occasion of Labour Day, in which Adani had spoken about the dignity of labour and the central role of people in every institution.