Supreme Court to hear all pleas against AGR dues next week.

Source – economictimes.indiatimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will, next week, hear petitions filed by at least five non-telecom public sector undertakings, seeking clarification on applicability of an earlier verdict that might require them to pay well over Rs 3 lakh crore in licence fee dues.

Sources said the court on Friday agreed to hear the pleas of GAIL India, Power Grid CorporationNSE -2.48 % and Oil India that filed clarificatory applications on Wednesday and Thursday, which was the deadline for the payments. Sources added that RailTel and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also have filed similar applications.

“The companies filed separate petitions in the Supreme Court. A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra is expected to club all the petitions and hear them next week, along with other modification pleas filed by telecom companies, asking for time to pay off the dues and easier payment terms,” said one person in know of the matter.

Power minister RK Singh on Friday told ET he discussed PGCIL’s Rs 1.25 lakh crore dues with telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Based on subsequent discussions with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, it was decided the companies should approach Supreme Court for clarification, he said.

Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said the Rs 3 lakh crore sought by the Department of Telecommunications from non-telecom PSUs was a result of “communication gap” as these firms are not liable to pay any dues.

Cumulative dues of non-telecom companies are more than those of about 15 telecom companies at Rs 1.47 lakh crore, including licence fee, spectrum usage charges, interest and penalties.