Supreme Court gives telecom companies 10 years to pay dues, with 10 per cent to be paid by March 31, 2021. The bench led by Justice Arun Mishra said that telecom companies will have to clear their dues by February 7 each year and non-payment of dues will invite contempt of court.
The Supreme Court said that its verdict on AGR-related dues is final and has directed the managing directors of the telcos to give personal guarantees within four weeks.
The top court has dropped contempt cases against the telecom companies and
During the hearings, the court was told by Tata Telecom that a window of at least 7-10 years would be required for payment of dues, while Vodafone-Idea and Bharti Airtel had suggested payment over the course of 15 years. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), however, stuck to the Union Cabinet’s proposal of payment within 20 years.
On July 20, the three-judge bench had reserved its order on the timeline for staggered payment of dues and took up the issue of spectrum licences held by the companies.
