The Supreme Court has urged the government to bring “finality” to Vodafone Idea Limited’s (Vi) pending issue, while agreeing to hear the telco’s petition challenging the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) additional demand of Rs 94.5 billion towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues until 2018-19.
A bench noted solicitor general’s request for more time to work out a possible solution, citing changed circumstances and the parties’ willingness to resolve the matter quickly. The court scheduled the next hearing for September 26, 2025. Meanwhile, senior counsel for Vi clarified that the company’s fresh petition addresses new demands and does not overlap with the earlier AGR case. Vi has argued that despite the supreme court crystallising AGR liabilities up to 2016-17, the DoT continues to raise further claims for that period, which it says contradicts the court’s judgments of July 20, 2020, and September 1, 2020.
Of the Rs 94.5 billion demand, about Rs 56.06 billion (as of March 31, 2025) relates to dues already settled by the court for the period up to 2016-17. If additional spectrum usage charge (SUC) dues are included, the figure rises to nearly Rs 68 billion.
Last year, the apex court dismissed curative petitions from telcos seeking relief from penalties and interest, as well as corrections in what they claimed were arithmetical errors in DoT’s calculations.
Further, under the Supreme Court’s September 2020 ruling, operators were ordered to pay 10 per cent of dues by March 31, 2021, with the remainder spread over ten annual instalments from 2026 to 2031. The court made it clear that revaluation of AGR dues would not be allowed and any default would attract interest, penalties, and contempt proceedings.
