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The DoT's new, extra requests for Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues are the reason behind Vodafone's writ petition.
A writ suit filed by Vodafone Idea Limited contesting further claims made by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) over Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues for the period up to FY 2016–17 was postponed by the Supreme Court on Monday until October 27. [Union of India v. Vodafone Idea Limited]
At the request of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, a bench consisting of Chief Justice of India (CJ) BR Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran postponed the case. Since September 2025, there have been four adjournments of the plea.
Vodafone filed the writ case in response to the DoT's new, extra claims for AGR dues for the fiscal year 2016–17. On the grounds that they go against the Supreme Court's previous rulings from July 2020 and September 2020, which crystallized all AGR liabilities for that time period, these requests are being disputed.
The corporation pointed out that the Court had prohibited any recalculation, self-assessment, or reassessment of dues and that, under its orders, its total obligation had been determined to be ₹58,254 crore up to FY 2016–17. DoT has still persisted in making additional demands for the same time frame, characterizing them as "above and beyond" the crystallized AGR dues and open to modification through departmental evaluations, CAG audits, or legal proceedings.
Vodafone argues that DoT's following demands now total more than ₹5,960 crore. For example, ₹292 crore was asked for a show-cause-cum-demand in August 2023 for FY 2015–16. The DoT more recently calculated dues of around ₹9,450 crore up to FY 2018–19 in a letter dated August 2025, of which roughly ₹5,606 crore (as of March 31, 2025) related to the previously settled period up to FY 2016–17. According to Vodafone Idea, the contested component increases to about ₹6,800 crore if spectrum use fees for the same cut-off are also taken into account.
The business contended that operators themselves have not been allowed to fix what they characterize as clerical and arithmetical flaws in the first evaluations, even though the DoT still has the authority to make further requests. The Supreme Court denied Vodafone Idea's previous requests for the reconciliation of such inaccuracies in July 2021 and again during the review phase in January 2025.
The petition argues that either the dues for the period up to FY 2016–17 must be treated as fully crystallized, or else a fair reconciliation exercise should be directed in accordance with the Deduction Verification Guidelines of February 2020. As a result, it seeks to quashing the additional demands and enforce the earlier Supreme Court orders.
Vodafone Idea was represented by Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi.
Tushar Mehta, the Solicitor General, represented the Central government.
The Supreme Court approved a 10-year staggered payment plan for AGR dues in September 2020. But in July 2021, the Court denied requests to recalculate the dues, ruling that neither self-correction nor evaluation was possible. Vodafone Idea's final remedy, a curative petition alleging a miscarriage of justice, was denied.
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