AAA Communications, a private company of Anil Ambani that holds 63.38 per cent equity in RCOM, today wrote to RIL claiming it was "free to and shall deal with RCOM shares as it deems fit."
It claimed that it was not a party to any "alleged non- compete agreement dated January 12, 2006" and hence was not covered by any alleged rights of first refusal to RIL.
An RCOM spokesperson, however, declined to comment when asked about the non-compete agreement, citing which RIL had initiated the arbitration process against RCOM by nominating a former Supreme Court judge Justice B P Jeevan Reddy as an arbitrator on July 17.
A spokesperson of RIL, which had thrown the spanner in negotiations between RCOM and MTN, which could have possibly created a $70-billion telecom entity, by asserting its right of first refusal on majority stake in RCOM, declined to comment immediately on the letter from Anil Ambani firm.