7 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Monday (October 27, 2025) permitted the Centre to see telecom large Vodafone Idea Ltd’s plea seeking quashing of the Department of Telecommunication's further adjusted gross gross (AGR) demands for the play up to 2016–17, observing the contented falls wrong the argumentation domain of the government.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran passed the bid portion proceeding a writ petition filed by Vodafone Idea challenging caller AGR-related demands raised by the Department of Telecommunication (DoT).
The institution contended that these further claims were unsustainable arsenic the liabilities had already been crystallised by the apex court’s 2019 judgement connected AGR dues.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, informed the tribunal that the authorities present holds 49% equity successful Vodafone Idea and that astir 20 crore consumers beryllium connected its services.
He submitted that fixed these circumstances, the Centre was consenting to analyse the issues raised by the institution to guarantee user interests are safeguarded.
The Bench noted the petition has been filed seeking the quashing of further AGR demands for 2016-17 and further directions to comprehensively reassess each dues.
“The solicitor wide connected instructions states that taking into consideration, the alteration successful circumstances that is the Centre acquiring 49 percent equity and 20 crore customers utilising the work of the petitioner, the Union is consenting to analyse the issues raised by the petitioner (company),” the Bench said.
“Taking into the information the presumption of the lawsuit now, the authorities has infused important equity into the institution and that it volition person nonstop bearing connected 20 crores customers, we spot nary contented successful the Union reconsidering the contented and taking due steps,” the CJI said successful the order.
The Bench clarified that the contented fell nether the argumentation domain of the Union and said, “There is nary crushed arsenic to wherefore that Union should beryllium prevented from doing, with that presumption of the matter, we dispose of the writ petition.”
Senior advocator Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Vodafone Idea, argued that the DoT’s further request of ₹5,606 crore for FY 2016–17 was unsustainable since the dues had already been determined pursuing the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict.
The AGR represents the income fig utilized to cipher the licence fees and spectrum usage charges payable by telecom operators to the government.
The quality implicit AGR, peculiarly its inclusion of non-telecom income, led to monolithic liabilities connected telecom operators, with Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel being among the hardest hit.
