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Following multiple adjournments linked to the legal battle over telecom adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, updated compliance timelines remain critical for Vodafone-Idea Ltd. | Photo Credit: The Prime News Network
Supreme Court Defers Response on Vodafone-Idea’s ₹9,450 Crore AGR Appeal
The Supreme Court on Monday (October 6, 2025) rescheduled its review of Vodafone-Idea Ltd’s challenge to the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) revised demand of ₹9,450 crore for adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues after the 2025 Dasara recess. A decision for the case will now be delivered by October 13, 2025, as requested by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta on behalf of the Government of India.
Judicial Bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran accommodated the adjournment request after brief discussions with Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta. Senior Counsel Mukul Rohatgi, representing Vodafone-Idea (VI) in the telecom sector, also supported the timeline shift, given ongoing preparation for key evidence submissions to the court.
“This litigation could define future frameworks for telecom regulatory compliance in India,” legal analysts observes.
The dispute centers on additional AGR charges imposed on VI for the fiscal period 2016-17, encompassing interest, penalties, and revised calculations against earlier settlements. VI maintains its compliance was “conclusively resolved” under contractual terms and has petitioned for annulment of the payment notice while urging a reconciled settlement.
This legal hearig is part of a broader regulatory push impacting major telecom operators in India. On September 24, 2024, the Supreme Court had closed prior curative petitions from VI against cumulative debt exposures exceeding ₹92,000 crore. The CJI at the time emphasized judicial formalization of regulatory boundary enforcement.
Financial metrics continue to dominate discussions around VI’s capacity to meet obligations. Current liability tallies stand at ₹83,400 crore in principal dues, with phased repayment schedules allocating ₹18,000 crore per year starting March 2025. Combined liabilities, including interest and penalties, near the alarming figure of ₹2 trillion. “Cash flow deficits render these obligations unsustainable under present conditions,” VI’s legal counsel emphasized.
The court’s continual reiterations on “finality” from its 2019 judgment underscore systemic expectations for resolution timelines exceeding five years. As Chief Justice Gavai previously noted, “A legal ecosystem benefits from decisiveness,” urging closure as the telecom industry enters its competitive consolidation phase.
Updates on complete AGR settlements for Bharti Airtel and others precede VI’s current appeal. Firms continue weighing viability of compliance mechanisms including DoT renegotiation channels and emergency funding measures under telecom privatization discussions.
Reported for Public Access: – October 06, 2025 | 08:52 pm IST
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