The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani seeking a response on a contempt petition filed by Ericsson India in connection with non-payment of dues, PTI reported.

The court had in October granted Reliance Communications until December 15 to repay Rs 550 crore to the Swedish telecom major. Reliance Communications had sought a 60-day extension from the top court to clear its dues.

On Monday, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Reliance Communications, asked the court to accept Rs 118 crore towards outstanding dues. However, the counsel for Ericsson refused to accept the amount and said the entire amount should be deposited.

A bench headed by Justice RF Nariman sought a response from Ambani and others in four weeks. The bench also asked Reliance Communications to deposit a demand draft of Rs 118 crore in the court registry.

Earlier, Reliance Communications had blamed the Department of Telecommunications for creating hurdles in its attempt to sell spectrum to Reliance Jio, and claimed that this had prevented it from paying Ericsson. The company is in debt of about Rs 46,000 crore.