Telcos get no relief, have to pay ₹1.69 trillion dues

New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday shot down a telecom ministry directive that allowed operators to reassess their dues related to a court order and asked the government to stick to its original demand for ₹1.69 trillion, dealing a further blow to India’s struggling telcos.

Reprimanding the department of telecommunications (DoT) for allowing self-assessments—which turned out to be far lower than government estimates—the apex court called the exercise a fraud and asked the department to withdraw the move. The dues relate to fees for spectrum and licence, penalty and interest calculated on the basis of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR).

An apex court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, however, said it will hear arguments on the government’s petition to allow companies to make staggered payments over a 20-year period at its next hearing, likely after two weeks.