SC Puts Off 2G Scam Hearing Case Till March 11, Licenses Extended

As per the Supreme Court website, the hearing for the 2G spectrum scam case has been deferred until the March 11. This extends the licenses of several telcos, giving operators a chance to continue their operations until the next auction. This means that the operators can continue to offer services in those areas where their services have been banned until then. The Department of telecommunication has set the date for the next auction round on March 11, 2013.

Last month, the Supreme Court had stated that the validity of the licenses of operators will be extended till the next hearing by the court. The court had decided on February 4 as the hearing date which has now been postponed to March 11.

The court has also requested for additional details from government regarding the auction round that was held before. The court was expected to have taken a stand on extending licenses of operators like Videocon, Telenor and Sistema Shyam.

The next auction round is unlikely to create any huge impact on the auction as a whole. The companies might stand to benefit from the next round by the grant of continuing their operations. As per the hearing date earlier, they were supposed to have stopped their operation in certain circles on February 4.

There was uncertainty on whether they will be granted permission to continue operations in the period February 4 to March 11. Now that the auction round has been set for March 11, chances are that the companies will be allowed to operate continuously. The postponement of the hearing date has come as a relief for the companies regarding their operations.