Supreme Court Dismisses Telecom Firms' Pleas Over AGR Dues

The Supreme Court has rejected a series of petitions from telecom giants Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel seeking to rectify alleged errors in the calculation of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues. The court dismissed the curative petitions, affirming that the demand raised by the Department of Telecommunications will remain final.

In a significant blow to major telecom firms, the Supreme Court has dismissed a series of petitions filed by companies including Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel. The petitions sought correction of alleged errors in the calculation of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR).

A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud alongside Justices Sanjiv Khanna and B R Gavai also turned down the request by the telecoms to have their curative petitions heard in open court. Curative petitions are typically considered in-chamber unless a prima facie case for reconsideration of the verdict is established.

The court noted in an order dated August 30, recently released, that they found no reason to list the curative petitions for open court hearing. This verdict follows previous Supreme Court proceedings in July 2021, where similar pleas from telecom companies were dismissed. The Supreme Court concluded that the Department of Telecommunications' demand regarding AGR dues is final and telecom companies must adhere to the payment schedule set out, requiring 10% by March 31, 2021, and the remainder in yearly installments until 2031.

(With inputs from agencies.)