SC dismisses Vodafone, Airtel AGR waiver pleas

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the pleas of telecom majors Vodafone, Airtel and Tata Teleservices seeking the waiver of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.

- Press Trust of India

NEW DELHI:

A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan called the pleas "misconceived". "We are really shocked by these petitions which have come before us. Really disturbed. It is not expected of a multinational company. We will dismiss it," the bench told senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Vodafone.

The top court refused to "come in the way of the government" wanting to help the telecom companies. Rohatgi at the start of Monday's hearing sought an adjournment till July.

When the court asked for the reason, he said they were trying to see if something could be done without bothering the court and informed the bench that the government now held 50% ownership in Vodafone.