Supreme Court declines to hear telcos’ requests for AGR relief
• The Supreme Court rejected pleas by telecom majors Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Tata Teleservices for relief in the payments of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) liabilities.
• The petitions were deemed “misconceived” by Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan.
• The companies sought relief in the payment of interest on the dues, penalty, and interest on the penalty.
• The companies appealed to the SC’s sense of equity, citing financial strain due to court rulings on AGR.
• The companies sought a waiver of over ₹40,000 crore in liabilities related to the AGR, invoking the fundamental right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution.
• The Supreme Court dismissed curative petitions filed by the telecom service providers against an October 2019 judgment upholding the Department of Telecom’s move to recover AGR dues.