A U.S. judge on Friday ordered the Justice Department to justify its decision to drop criminal charges against billionaire Gautam Adani, declining to rule immediately on Adani's lawyers' request earlier in the week to formally dismiss the case. Adani was charged in 2024 with agreeing to bribe Indian government officials so a subsidiary of his Adani Group could win approval to develop a solar plant, and then misleading U.S. investors by providing reassuring information about his company's anti-corruption practices. Adani Group has consistently denied wrongdoing. The Justice Department said last month it would no longer pursue the prosecution. Adani's lawyers on Wednesday asked Brooklyn-based U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis to formally dismiss the case.