A US federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to justify its decision to drop criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, according to a court filing.

In a written ruling on Wednesday, Brooklyn-based US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said prosecutors' notice to abandon the case was "terse, bland and conclusory" and gave them a July 13 deadline to provide more information.

"The Government's terse, bland and conclusory statement affords the court neither a sufficient basis to reach any conclusion, nor the opportunity to conduct any analysis of the Government's request for dismissal," Garaufis wrote.

Adani's lawyer Robert Giuffra argued the case should be dismissed because it was beyond US law and prosecutors would be unable to prove alleged bribery in India. The DOJ dropped the case after Adani pledged a $10bn investment in the US.

Adani, the world's 17th richest person, was charged in 2024 with conspiring to bribe Indian officials for a solar power contract. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.

The decision to drop the case came after Adani hired Giuffra, who is also one of President Donald Trump's personal lawyers. Separately, Bloomberg reported that Adani met with Donald Trump Jr. in November while the investigation was ongoing.

Source: www.aljazeera.com