AGR dues: DoT asks telecom operators to pay up as SC breathes fire

Telecom operators ignore midnight deadline; Bharti to pay Rs 10,000 cr by Feb 20; Voda Idea still silent

In a blow to Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, the Supreme Court on Friday rejected their plea seeking a staggered option for paying dues linked to adjusted gross revenue (AGR). The apex court has directed the companies to make the payments in accordance with its order issued on October 24 last year. With the court refusing to grant any relief, Bharti will have to shell out around Rs 35,500 crore and Vodafone Idea Rs 54,000 crore immediately, out of the total telecom industry AGR dues estimated at Rs 1.47 trillion. 

Coming down heavily on both the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and