Airtel unlikely to take legal route for AGR relief, for now

Writes to DoT seeking reassessment of dues

- GULVEEN AULAKH

India’s second-largest telecom service provider, Bharti Airtel, is unlikely to approach the courts in the near term to seek relief on dues related to adjusted gross revenue (AGR), said people in the know.

Instead, the company has written to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) seeking a reassessment and recalculation of its AGR dues. The move was confirmed by Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal, who is currently in Davos, Switzerland, attending the World Economic Forum (WEF).

“We've written to the government that AGR was our issue as well, and we hope we get their attention,” Mittal told CNBC TV18 in an interaction at the WEF. He added that the company was yet to hear back from the government on its request.

Earlier this month, the government granted Aditya Birla Group-promoted Vodafone Idea (Vi) a 10-year breather on AGR payments, allowing it to pay a maximum of ₹124 crore annually for six years starting March this year, followed by ₹100 crore annually for four years beginning March 2032.