SC to hear Vodafone Idea's plea

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear on Monday a plea of telecom major Vodafone Idea Ltd. seeking quashing of the Department of Telecommunication's (DoT) additional adjusted gross revenue (AGR) demands for the period up to 2016-17. AGR is the income figure used to calculate the licence fees and spectrum charges that telecom companies must pay to the government. According to the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and Vipul M Pancholi is scheduled to hear the plea on October 27 when the top court resumes working after Diwali vacation.

The hearing on the petition has been adjourned in the past on several occasions at the request of the telecom firm and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre. VIL has filed a fresh plea against the DoT's demand of Rs5,606 crore relating to 2016-17. Earlier, the Centre said that efforts were underway to arrive at a resolution with the company.