New Delhi : The Supreme Court has made it clear that the troubled telecom sector is not getting any relief on the AGR dues. It also slammed self-assessment done by telecom companies despite the court order earlier mentioning the dues. Hearing the DoT’s plea, the apex court said on Wednesday that it will not allow any further objections to its orders in regard to the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) case. “Our order is clear, no further objections to be allowed against payable dues,” Justice Arun Mishra said, according to various media reports. The plea is being heard by the same bench which had also upheld the DoT definition of AGR in the court ruling in October 2019. On the question of self-assessment of dues by telecom companies such as Vodafone-Idea, Justice Arun Mishra said: “Where did the concept of self-assessment come in? Who permitted self-assessment without permission of the court? This is sheer contempt of court.” As the previous order clearly spells out the telecom dues, there is no case for self-assessment, the bench said.
Earlier, the Department of Telecommunications had sought staggered payments of AGR dues over 20 years as telecom companies reel under extreme pressure. The plea also requested telcos not be charged a penalty and interests on penalty and principal beyond the date of the judgement. According to the earlier order, Bharti Airtel has pending AGR dues of Rs 35,586 crore and Vodafone Idea owes Rs 53,000 crore. However, according to the self-assessments of telecoms, the actual amount is quite lower. Both Vodafone-Idea and Bharti Airtel have made partial payments against their AGR dues.
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