SC rejects Government’s plea challenging refund of Rs 104 crore ordered by TDSAT to RCom

In a relief to beleaguered Reliance Communications (RCom), the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a government appeal that challenged an earlier tribunal order directing it to refund Rs 104 crore to the telecom company.

On December 21, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) had asked the government to return Rs 104 crore to the company. This after encashment of a bank guarantee of Rs 908 crore against spectrum charges of Rs 774 crore.

A bench of justices R F Nariman and S Ravindra Bhat said, “We don’t find any merits in the appeal”.

RCom had provided DoT with bank guarantees for Rs 908 crore on deferred spectrum charges for 2013 and 2015 auctions, of which the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) was to encash guarantees of Rs 774 crore and repay the balance.