New Delhi: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will seek clarity from solicitor general Tushar Mehta on the Supreme Court order on telecom operator Vodafone Idea concerning the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) relief matter and proceed on the basis of the advice of the law officer, said officials. There is ambiguity over whether the relief pertains only to additional demand of ₹9,000 crore or it includes old AGR dues.
"The DoT will seek clarity from the solicitor general and depending on the reply, a decision will be taken around the next steps," said an official, who did not wish to be identified.
The DoT seeks views of the country's second-highest law officer to interpret legal matters for better clarity and understanding.
Most legal experts feel that the apex court judgement categorically states that the relief can be restricted to additional AGR demand raised by the DoT, but some others feel the order is open to interpretation.
The order makes it clear relief can be offered to Vi only and not to other telcos like Airtel, the experts said. In the absence of any relief from the government, the financially struggling company is scheduled to pay more than ₹18,000 crore as an instalment of AGR dues in March next year.
Analysts expect the government to provide relief to the company in the coming weeks and months, much before the next instalment is due. The relief, they said, could be in the form of a partial waiver of dues or extension of timeline for payment of the dues, or a combination of the two.
Vi has outstanding AGR dues of more than ₹76,000 crore and annual instalments need to be paid until March 2031. At the end of March this year, Vi's cash and bank balance totalled ₹9,930 crore, and it is feared that without any relief on the AGR dues, the company won't survive.
"The DoT will seek clarity from the solicitor general and depending on the reply, a decision will be taken around the next steps," said an official, who did not wish to be identified.
The DoT seeks views of the country's second-highest law officer to interpret legal matters for better clarity and understanding.
Most legal experts feel that the apex court judgement categorically states that the relief can be restricted to additional AGR demand raised by the DoT, but some others feel the order is open to interpretation.
The order makes it clear relief can be offered to Vi only and not to other telcos like Airtel, the experts said. In the absence of any relief from the government, the financially struggling company is scheduled to pay more than ₹18,000 crore as an instalment of AGR dues in March next year.
Analysts expect the government to provide relief to the company in the coming weeks and months, much before the next instalment is due. The relief, they said, could be in the form of a partial waiver of dues or extension of timeline for payment of the dues, or a combination of the two.
Vi has outstanding AGR dues of more than ₹76,000 crore and annual instalments need to be paid until March 2031. At the end of March this year, Vi's cash and bank balance totalled ₹9,930 crore, and it is feared that without any relief on the AGR dues, the company won't survive.
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