DoT Approaches Supreme Court Over AGR Payment Dues

AGR matter doesn't seem to end anytime soon, as the DoT has again approached the Supreme Court on the same matter. The DoT has filed an affidavit in the apex court as telecom operators are not following the adjusted gross revenue order. Notably, Airtel, Vi (Vodafone-Idea), and Tata Teleservices have to clear 10 percent of the dues by March 31, 2021, as per the Supreme Court orders.

The remaining amount has to be paid in 10 years. However, there is some confusion as telcos said that they cleared the initial amount already, whereas DoT believes that telecom operators have missed the deadline. This seems that there is confusion regarding the calculation of the exact amount and that's why telecom operators are approaching their legal advisors.

Adjusted Gross Revenue Dues Of Airtel, Vi, Reliance Communications, Aircel, And Reliance Jio,: Details

Airtel has to pay Rs. 43,980 crores, Vi has to clear Rs. 58,254 crores dues, Tata Group has to clear Rs. 16,798 crores, while BSNL has to pay Rs. 5,835.85 crores, and MTNL needs to clear Rs. 4,352 crores. Reliance Communications, Aircel, and Video Telecommunication owes a debt of Rs. 25,194.58 crores, 12,389 crores, and Rs. 1,376 crores. However, Airtel said that it has already cleared Rs. 18, 004 crores, and Vi cleared Rs. 7,854 crores. On the other hand, Reliance Jio said that it has already cleared the entire AGR amount.

Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, And Tata Teleservices Also Filed Petition In The Apex Court: Details

It is worth noting that all three telecom players have also filed a petition in the country as they want some modification in the entire AGR amount. All telecom operators also want DoT to look at that matter and change the calculations in the dues. "There are a number of apparent arithmetic errors in DoT's demands, such as duplications in revenue addition, errors of omission, and errors of commission, which have nothing to do with the inclusion or exclusion of a particular head of revenue," Airtel said. Similarly, Vi and Tata Teleservices said that DoT has made some errors in the calculations and doubled the amount.