Supreme Court to Consider Vodafone Idea's Plea for Review of AGR Dues Judgment

Strategic Insights -

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider the plea of Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) seeking the urgent listing of its curative petition challenging the apex court's September 2019 judgment directing telecom companies to cough up about Rs 1.47 lakh crore of arrears due to the Centre towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR). Vi's plea sought correction of alleged errors in determining adjusted gross revenue (AGR). The company's senior advocate Harish Salve informed the bench that the curative petition had been filed in September last year and the company was keen on a final verdict. This development comes after the apex court had allowed the telecom operators to pay the AGR dues totaling Rs 1.47 lakh crore staggered over 10 years, instead of in one go, as was directed by it in an earlier October 2019 order.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Supreme Court has agreed to consider Vodafone Idea Limited's (Vi) plea for the urgent listing of its curative petition challenging the apex court's September 2019 judgment on adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.
  • Vi's plea seeks correction of alleged errors in determining AGR, which totals about Rs 1.47 lakh crore.
  • The apex court had earlier allowed telecom operators to pay the AGR dues staggered over 10 years, instead of in one go, as directed in an October 2019 order.
  • The Supreme Court had dismissed a plea seeking correction of errors in the demand of AGR dues in July 2021.
  • Vi's senior advocate Harish Salve has requested the bench to urgently consider the company's curative petition, citing the need for a final verdict.
  • The company had earlier pleaded that the one-go payment of AGR dues would lead to bankruptcy and sought staggered payment over 20-30 years.

Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, sitting along with Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, gave the assurance to senior advocate Harish Salve.

Statistics:

  • Rs 1.47 lakh crore: Total amount of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues paid by telecom companies.
  • 10 years: Staggered payment period for AGR dues, as directed by the apex court.
  • 20 years: Period suggested by the Centre for payment of AGR dues.
  • September 1, 2021: Date when the apex court allowed telecom operators to pay the AGR dues staggered over 10 years.
  • September 2019: Date of the apex court's judgment directing telecom companies to cough up about Rs 1.47 lakh crore of arrears due to the Centre towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR).
  • October 2019: Date of the apex court's earlier order directing telecom companies to pay the AGR dues in one go.

Sources:

  • ABP Private Limited, distributed by Contify.com.