SC dismisses telcos' AGR review plea

In a major blow to telecom operators, the Supreme Court of India has dismissed their review petition filed against its October 24, 2019 judgment asking them to pay a total of Rs 1.47 lakh crore as Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues. Telecom operators including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea had sought relief in the multi-crore payment case. The deadline for paying the dues is January 23 and includes spectrum charges and license fee. Bharti Airtel, one of the major telecom operators, said, "Disappointed with SC dismissing AGR review plea; evaluating option to file curative petition". It further said that the SC decision may erode viability of telcos in India.