The High Court has ordered the formation of a high-level investigative committee to reevaluate all agreements with India's Adani Group concerning electricity.

A High Court bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury issued the order on Tuesday after a preliminary hearing on a related writ petition.

The court also directed the submission of a report on this matter within two months.

During the hearing, the High Court raised questions about the electricity agreement with Adani Group.

Additionally, the court issued a rule asking why the power purchase agreement with Adani Power Plant should not be reconsidered.

The defendants in the case have been instructed to respond to this rule.

The investigative committee would include international energy experts and international legal experts.

The Cabinet Secretary has been tasked with forming the committee within a month and submitting a report to the court within the following two months.

Simultaneously, the court issued a rule asking why the unequal agreements with India’s Adani Group concerning electricity should not be cancelled.

The court has also ordered the submission of negotiation documents related to the agreements with Adani Group within a month.

On November 13, a writ petition was filed in the High Court seeking the cancellation of all electricity-related agreements with India’s Adani Group. Barrister M Kayum filed the writ petition in the public interest in the relevant branch of the High Court. The Secretary of the Ministry of Power and other relevant parties were made respondents in the writ.

Under the direction of the Power Division, an electricity purchase agreement was signed with Adani in 2017. At that time, no coal-based power plant had yet been operational in the country.

Electricity is primarily supplied to Bangladesh from Adani's 1,600MW power plant in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand.

On September 28, a meeting of the National Review Committee decided to collect relevant information and data on 11 power plants. The Power Division directed the provision of these details and documents to the committee, which included information related to Adani's power plant.

On November 6, a legal notice was sent to the government requesting the cancellation of all agreements with India’s Adani Group concerning electricity.

The notice demanded an immediate reevaluation of the "unfair" and "one-sided" agreements or their complete cancellation. The notice also stated that if steps to reevaluate the agreements with Adani were not initiated within three days, a writ petition would be filed in the High Court.

The notice further called for the formation of a review committee comprising energy and legal experts to provide a detailed report.

The chairman of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) and the Secretary of the Ministry of Energy were given a three-day deadline to respond to the notice.

After this deadline passed, the writ petition was filed.

News Link: High Court orders committee formation to review agreements with Adani Group