Building a Strong Legal House

Adani Group is fighting legal battles from multiple coordinates. India's prestigious business conglomerate recently received relief from the Supreme Court after judges ruled that it’s not necessary to face additional investigation after last year’s Hindenburg Research report, which alleged the company of improper business dealings that set off an over $150 billion selloff in the conglomerate's stocks. Adani Power is also facing legal challenges inside the country against Rajasthan Discoms, which recently resulted in a face-off in a heated exchange in the Supreme Court over ₹1400 crore claim.

Amidst all this, the company has appointed a new Chief Legal Officer for its Energy division. Rajesh Sehgal, a partner in the energy, infra and ESG vertical of Dentons Link Legal, recently joined Adani Power. Commenting on the occasion, Sehgal told India Business Law Journal: “The role is much bigger in terms of portfolios [compared to] Trina, though I was heading the whole of the APAC with a limited mandate for the downstream project development team including [in] acquisition and project development. At Adani, he will be responsible for everything from thermal, M&A, and project development to renewables, transmission and litigation strategy. Sehgal possesses more than 25 years of extensive legal experience. His expertise includes cross border energy assets acquisitions, renewables, infrastructure, project financing, environmental law, natural resources, risk management, contracts, due diligence, litigation strategy and global compliances.

In this yearly special issue of CEO Insights, we delve deeper into the world of chief legal officers. Do let us know your thoughts