In the latest development, telco major Bharti Airtel has approached the Supreme Court over the ‘arithmetical errors’ in the assessment of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues payable by the company, reports stated on Wednesday.
As per DoT’s assessment, Airtel’s total dues stand at Rs 43,980 crore, out of which Rs 25,976 crore is due, an IANS report said.
However, as per telco’s self-assessment, its total dues to the government stand at Rs 13,004 crore. The telco has already paid Rs 18,004 crore.
“The applicants pray that the respondents be permitted to complete the process of assessments after considering the representations made by the applicants in this respect (including for the mathematical and calculation errors) and thereby determine the amounts due and payable,” Airtel’s petition said.
The petition also seeks “limited clarification” or modification or recall of the orders dated March 18, 2020, September 20, 2020, and paragraph 38 (i) of the order dated September 1, 2020.
The date of the hearing is yet to be decided, reports said.
It is worth mentioning that Vodafone Idea may follow Airtel’s footsteps and make a similar move. Vodafone Idea’s total AGR dues as per DoT stood at Rs 58,254 crore, while the dues according to the company stood at Rs 21,533 crore. So far, the company has made a total payment of Rs 3,500 crore.
In September, the apex court allowed telecom operators 10 years to pay up AGR dues.