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A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Abhay S. Oka, and Justice Sanjay Kumar ruled that no case for review of the July 23, 2021 order was made out, thereby rejecting the pleas. “Pending applications, if any, shall stand disposed of,” the court stated.
The telecom firms had contended that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) made significant errors in computing the AGR dues, including failing to account for payments already made and incorporating non-core revenues. Vodafone Idea, in its plea, argued that these “glaring errors” had resulted in an unjustified financial burden of approximately ₹25,000 crore.
However, with the Supreme Court’s refusal to allow corrections, the companies are left with no further legal avenues.
Following the verdict, shares of Vodafone Idea dropped 2.43% to ₹8.44 on the BSE Sensex, while Bharti Airtel slipped 0.2% to ₹1,710.10 at 10:45 am on Friday.
In a statement, Vodafone Idea said the rejection of this review petition closes all AGR-related matters at the Supreme Court. The company had filed multiple applications, review petitions, and a curative petition over the years, primarily arguing for the correction of manifest errors in AGR calculations.
Bharti Airtel also informed stock exchanges that the Supreme Court’s January 28, 2025 order, uploaded on February 13, 2025, dismissed its review plea, reaffirming the 2021 ruling that had refused any modifications.
With all legal options exhausted, telecom operators are now banking on government relief. Reports suggest that the government is considering a proposal to waive 50% of interest and 100% of penalties on AGR dues. If approved, this could reduce the financial burden on telecom operators by over ₹1 lakh crore.
Vodafone Idea’s outstanding liability could be reduced by approximately ₹52,000 crore. Bharti Airtel could see a reduction of about ₹38,000 crore.
The AGR dispute stems from a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that mandated telecom companies to include non-core revenues in their AGR calculations, leading to massive dues for telcos. In 2021, the court refused to allow re-computation, and subsequent review and curative petitions from Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel have all been dismissed.
With this decision, the telecom operators must now rely on potential government relief to ease their financial burden. The DoT has proposed a waiver on penalties and interest, which, if approved, could significantly reduce their dues.