Telcos to miss Jan 24 AGR deadline, wait for ‘modification’ plea hearing

Leading telecom companies including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Tata Group are planning to communicate to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that while they will comply with the Supreme court order on paying adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, they will wait till next week, when their “modification” petition is heard in the apex court, before paying.

The move means the telcos will skip the January 24 deadline the court gave for paying the government Rs 1.47 trillion.

While the three companies said they would not comment on the issue, top sources said Bharti Airtel would send the letter on Thursday.