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New Delhi: More than two weeks before a US federal judge demanded that the Justice Department explain its bid to abandon the criminal prosecution of Gautam Adani, two senior Democratic senators questioned whether the department’s decision had been influenced by the billionaire’s reported offer to invest $10 billion in the United States, seeking detailed answers about the circumstances surrounding the case.

In a June 11 letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal said the Justice Department’s move to seek dismissal of the indictment raised “serious questions about corruption under President Trump” and about “the role that Mr. Adani’s politically salient offer played in the DOJ’s decision.”

The letter assumes added significance after US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis on Friday (June 26) declined to immediately approve the government’s request to dismiss the indictment against Adani and seven other defendants. Instead, he directed the Justice Department to explain by July 13 each reason for seeking dismissal and provide sufficient factual support before the court considers whether to grant the request.

The senators’ queries were triggered by a New York........

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