Supreme Court To Hear Vodafone-Idea Plea On September 26

The Supreme Court will hear Vodafone-Idea’s petition on September 26. A bench comprising CJI BR Gavai, Justice K Vinod Chandran, and Justice NV Anjaria is presiding over the matter.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the central government, requested the court to postpone the proceedings. The court accepted his request and adjourned the matter until Friday.

Mehta informed the bench that the government has a 50% stake in Vodafone-Idea, making it a direct stakeholder in the case. He added that the issue requires a workable solution with the court’s assistance.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Vodafone-Idea, argued that telecom operators must pay license fees based on their revenue. However, the dispute arises because income from non-telecom ventures—such as hotels—is also added to the company’s telecom revenue.

Rohatgi emphasised that this inclusion unfairly inflates the company’s Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues.

Solicitor General Mehta responded by stating that this case involves other issues, which he would present in the next hearing.

Vodafone-Idea has challenged the government’s demand for ₹9,450 crore in additional AGR dues, calling the figure inaccurate. The company alleged that the government had duplicated certain amounts in its calculation.

The company requested the court to direct the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to verify the dues using the Deduction Verification Guidelines submitted on February 3, 2020.

The DoT has asked Vodafone-Idea to pay ₹2,774 crore as AGR dues for 2018–19. Out of the total ₹9,450 crore demand:

• Rs 2,774 crore relates to the merged entity,
• Rs 5,675 crore relates to dues from the pre-merger Vodafone group.

Vodafone-Idea claimed that certain amounts were added twice and urged the court to reconcile dues before the 2016–17 financial year.

The Department of Telecommunications clarified before the court that the demand does not arise from reassessment or recalculation. Instead, it results from finalising pending accounts.

The department explained that discrepancies discovered after closing financial accounts led to the revised demand.

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