SC rejects pleas by Airtel, Vodafone and Tata to recalculate dues they owe to Centre
The case is related to the government’s calculation of levies on telecom companies, which is based on the revenue generated by the firms.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the applications of major telecom companies seeking recomputation of the adjusted gross revenue dues owed to the government, reported Live Law. The pleas were filed by Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices.
“All applications are dismissed,” said Justices L Nageswara Rao.
In October 2019, the Supreme Court had upheld the Centre’s broader definition of revenue, based on which the government calculates levies on telecom operators.
Of the Rs 1.47 lakh crore that 15 entities owe the government, Rs 92,642 crore is unpaid licence fee and Rs 55,054 crore is outstanding spectrum usage charges. Vodafone Idea owes the government the most – Rs 58,000 crore – followed by Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices.
In September 2020, the Supreme Court had granted the telecom companies 10 years to clear their pending AGR dues to the central government with 10% payment to be made every year. The deadline for the first installment was March 31, 2021.
Later in 2020, the three telecom majors moved the Supreme Court alleging calculation errors in the dues computed by the Department of Telecommunications.
In its application, Vodafone Idea said there were “arithmetic errors”. The telecom company submitted that the payments already made by Vodafone-Idea were not adjusted by DoT while making the demands.
Bharti Airtel had claimed duplication and unaccounted payments, according to NDTV. Tata Teleservices too sought recalculation of its dues stating that Rs 4,197 crore was already deposited as AGR dues.
