DoT requested Supreme Court to give it four weeks so that it can take an “informed decision” whether to proceed with its appeal against an order by Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal.
The department of telecommunications (DoT) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday it is reconsidering its decision to proceed with an appeal filed against a tribunal order in April 2019 on the issue of recovery of one-time spectrum user charges (SUC) from companies to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore. It requested the court to give the government four weeks so that it can take an “informed decision” whether to proceed with its appeal against an order by Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal.
The move is significant, as there are pending cases between telecom companies (telcos) and the government in various courts involving substantial amount of financial dues. According to sources, the number of cases go to over 200 in the Supreme Court itself. A DoT study done a few years ago said the total number of cases is as high as 2,800. These apart from the big ones include other financial demands made by DoT and challenged by telcos, disputes on interpretation of the notifications and the law and appeals reversing a decision of a lower court.
DoT, in an affidavit before the Supreme Court, said that it has taken a decision to review, considering the sector’s financial crises. It pointed out that despite government measures most operators are making financial losses. It told the court that the cabinet in September cleared a telecom package to ensure viability of companies and prevent a monopolistic situation in the sector….
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