The Supreme Court on Monday once again postponed the hearing of Vodafone Idea Ltd’s plea seeking relief from additional adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. The case will now be heard after Diwali, with the court scheduled to remain closed from October 20 to 25. Vodafone Idea had filed a petition in September challenging the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) demand for an extra ₹9,450 crore in AGR dues, also requesting waiver of related interest and penalties, citing that the dues were not yet conclusively determined.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, requested more time, prompting Chief Justice B.R. Gavai to demand a clearer position before deferring the hearing for the fourth time. Though the Supreme Court had previously fixed dues till FY2016-17 and disallowed reassessment, Vodafone Idea argued that the DoT’s latest demand extended up to FY2018-19.
Out of the ₹9,450 crore sought, ₹2,774 crore is post-merger (August 2018) and ₹6,675 crore pre-merger. Vodafone Idea already owes around ₹83,400 crore and is required to pay ₹18,000 crore annually from March. The firm stated that this large liability threatens its survival, impacting 18,000 employees and 198 million users.