Supreme Court Denies Review Pleas on Telecom AGR Dues

The Supreme Court has denied telecom giants like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea a review of its 2021 decision rejecting rectification of errors in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues. Telecom companies argued for corrections in calculations, but the court upheld its previous ruling enforcing the payment terms.

The Supreme Court has dealt a blow to telecom leaders, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, by refusing to revisit a 2021 order that dismissed their appeals for corrections in the calculation of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. The bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, dismissed their pleas in-chambers.

The companies had challenged the accuracy of the AGR dues' computation, citing arithmetical errors and entry duplications. However, the court found no grounds for a review, standing firm on its previous decision that payments outlined by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) are final and indisputable.

In previous rulings, the top court had structured a 10-year payment schedule for telecom providers to settle Rs 93,520 crore in AGR dues, as determined in October 2019. This recent order further cements the obligations of telecom operators to adhere strictly to these terms without room for renegotiation.