Rajasthan judge who ruled against Adani in ₹1,400 crore mining dispute transferred to Beawar district court, 200 km away, the same day

The court ruling between the Adani-led mining project and the power company from Rajasthan state has made headlines because the judge presiding over the judgment was shifted to another place, the very same day the judgment was handed down.

What followed on July 5, 2026?

On 5 July 2025, a Jaipur Commercial Court judge ruled against the Adani Group’s joint venture in a dispute with Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL). 

The judge ruled that the company had improperly charged the joint venture with over ₹1,400 crore of coal transportation costs and that a fine of ₹50 lakh should be paid. The judge ordered the Rajasthan state government to ask for a CAG audit.

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The history of this dispute

The move also marked the end of a 12-year-long battle that originated from a dispute over the coal mining activities taking place in the Hasdeo Arand region of the state of Chhattisgarh. 

But developments that have followed the case have put the matter in the limelight again.

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Judge Gupta transferred same day 

Later the same day, the Rajasthan state government, under the Law & Legal Affairs Department, relieved Jaipur Commercial Court Judge Dinesh Kumar Gupta of his duties as the judge of the commercial court. 

Later that day, the Rajasthan High Court transferred Judge Dinesh Kumar Gupta  to the district court at Beawar, which is more than 200 kilometers away from Jaipur. The High Court adjourned the commercial court case on 18 July 2025 after listening to the plea by the Adani Group, and the next hearing is slated for January 2026.

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The whole issue

But this whole issue began in the year 2007, when the Union Coal Ministry allotted a coal block to RRVUNL for the supply of fuel to the thermal power stations. 

RRVUNL had later formed a joint venture with the Adani Group company, creating Parsa Kente Collieries Ltd, in which the private company owned a 74% stake. As a joint venture, the Adani group company was to carry out mining and the construction of railway sidings for the transportation of coal to Rajasthan.

Mining work commenced in 2013, and the construction of railway siding lines took several years later. During those years, RRVUNL transported coal through the road transport system, which was beyond the original contract terms of transport. 

In turn, the joint venture company charged RRVUNL for road transport, and the amount had surpassed ₹1,400 crore. The conflict arose again in 2018 due to interest charges on unpaid amounts. 

According to his judgment, Judge Dinesh Kumar Gupta pointed out that it was the responsibility of the mining operator to erect railway infrastructure, and the cost of delay cannot be transferred to the state-owned utility. 

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