In Short:
The Supreme Court is considering a plea from telecom company Vodafone Idea to correct alleged errors in AGR-related dues. The court had earlier dismissed pleas seeking correction of errors in AGR dues calculation. Telecom firms claim errors in AGR dues calculation by DoT. The court had given telcos 10 years to clear dues, with a Rs 1 lakh crore total liability. Telecoms must pay 10% of dues by March 31, 2021.
The Supreme Court acknowledged a telecom firm’s request to address alleged errors in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) related dues on Monday. Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing Vodafone Idea, urged the bench, comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra, to consider the petition for correction.
The telecom firm stated that the curative petition against the dismissal of previous pleas regarding AGR-related dues’ correction is yet to be listed before a bench. The Chief Justice asked if an email had been sent on the matter.
Last year on October 9, the Supreme Court took note of telecom companies’ concerns about alleged errors in the calculation of AGR-related dues by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). In July 2021, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea to correct errors in the demand for AGR dues, totaling over Rs 1 lakh crore across various telecom companies.
Vodafone-Idea’s total liability stood at Rs 58,254 crore, while Bharti Airtel’s liability was Rs 43,980 crore. The top court previously granted telecom companies 10 years to settle their outstanding dues to the government.
The Supreme Court affirmed that the DoT’s demand for AGR dues would be final and that telecom companies should not dispute it or seek reassessment. Operators were required to pay 10% of the total dues by March 31, 2021, and the remaining amount in yearly installments from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2031.
