AGR dues: Supreme Court lashes out at DoT, telcos; says must pay all dues

It ordered the telecom department to immediately withdraw the move of allowing self-assessment of dues

The Supreme Court on Wednesday once again came down heavily on the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which had filed a petition seeking relief for telcos in paying the dues linked to adjusted gross revenue (AGR). The court shot down the DoT proposal that telecom companies might be permitted a 20-year staggered payment and exemption from penalties and interest in relation to the AGR dues. 

A Bench of Justices Arun Mishra, S A Nazeer, and M R Shah refused to take up the Centre’s plea for allowing telecom firms to pay the AGR dues in 20 years, saying the application would be