According to several people familiar with the situation, the Central government’s sudden dismissal of RP Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), is the result of significant irregularities involving Reliance Power, which is owned by Anil Ambani.
According to a formal order, Gupta, a former IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre, was relieved of his duties immediately.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) sources disclosed that the dismissal follows accusations of procedural lapses under Gupta’s leadership, specifically the clearance of Reliance Power’s participation in a major tender using forged documents, even though the government has not publicly cited any justification for the decision.
Reliance Power reportedly submitted bank guarantees in an SECI tender in October, citing the State Bank of India (SBI) as a guarantor. SBI eventually denied making such promises, though, and reported Reliance Power’s email address as fraudulent.
Serious concerns regarding SECI’s monitoring were raised when the company was initially permitted to bid despite these warning signs.
In the often quiet realm of energy contracting, SECI was forced to terminate the tender after SBI’s decision and prohibit Reliance Power from placing any more bids. This was an unusual and widely reported rebuke. According to insiders, Gupta’s decision to approve the company’s proposal in spite of obvious documentation problems was the decisive factor in his dismissal.
Gupta had been leading SECI since June 2023, and his tenure was initially scheduled to expire the following month. During his tenure, SECI’s management of renewable energy auctions and project backlogs came under increasing scrutiny.
SECI is under increased scrutiny after it was reported that nearly 40 gigawatts (GW) of green energy projects submitted by the four designated Renewable Energy Implementation Agencies (REIAs) have not found purchasers.
Controversies involving industry titans like JSW Energy and Adani have also caused SECI to come under fire in recent months, with claims that the bidding process lacked due diligence.
“The fake guarantee issue was not just an error — it was a complete failure of the checks and balances that should be routine at SECI,” a senior MNRE official stated under condition of anonymity. When a prominent player like Reliance Power is involved, the government cannot afford to overlook it.
At the time of publication, SECI, MNRE, and Reliance Power had not responded to requests for comment.
The repercussions from Gupta’s dismissal is anticipated to ripple through the industry as the government continues to advance its ambitious renewable energy ambitions, with calls for increased institutional accountability and closer inspection becoming more and more vocal.
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