'Must be either super experienced or...': Priyanka Chaturvedi on 22-yr-old filing SEBI affidavit on Adani row

The Securities and Exchange Board of India apprised the Supreme Court on Monday that the market regulator already investigating Adani Group companies since 2016 is "factually baseless". SEBI has filed a rejoinder affidavit in response to a petition relating to the scathing Hindenburg Research report on the Adani Group.

Shiv Sena UBT's Priyanka Chaturvedi expressed surprise that a 22-year-old person filed the affidavit on behalf of Sebi.

The 22-year-old is Satyansh Maurya who is presently working as Assistant Manager at Sebi.

"Wow. A 22 year old has been hired by @SEBI_India to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court on their behalf! Must be either super experienced from kindergarten days to file such replies or naive enough to be part of something as big as this," tweeted Chaturvedi.

SEBI had sought an extension to conclude the investigation in the report by US short-seller Hindenburg Research by a period of six months. The top court on Friday orally remarked that they will extend the time for the probe to SEBI, but not for six months and they can extend the time for the probe by three months. Petitioners had alleged that SEBI was probing the Adani Group since 2016.

 Oral arguments do not necessarily match the final court order, which will likely be given on Monday.

SEBI told the SC that the investigation done earlier by SEBI pertains to the issuance of Global Depository Receipts ("GDRs") by 51 Indian listed companies, in respect of which investigation was conducted. SEBI submitted before the Supreme Court that no listed company of Adani Group was part of those 51 companies it was investigating. "Pursuant to the completion of the investigation, appropriate enforcement actions were taken in this matter. Hence, the allegation that the Securities and Exchange Board of India ("SEBI") is investigating Adani since 2016 is factually baseless. I, therefore, say and submit that reliance sought to be placed on the investigation pertaining to GDRs is wholly misplaced," SEBI said in a rejoinder affidavit.