Bharti Airtel has approached the Supreme Court with a review petition, seeking correction of 'arithmetical errors' in calculations linked to the adjusted gross revenue (AGR). The second-largest telecom company had filed a similar petition in the SC earlier as well but the court disallowed any rectification of 'arithmetical errors' in the calculation of AGR dues.

Bharti Airtel claims that it owes DoT Rs 13,004 crore and has already paid Rs 18,000 crore to the department. The telco claimed the AGR dues incorrectly include duplication in revenue addition without factoring in the payments already made by the company, and incorrect interest rate for calculating spectrum usage charges (SUC), among others.

However, the SC rejected Airtel's appeal. According to the SC ruling, the telecom company owes a massive Rs 43,980 crore as AGR dues to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

If the highest court rejects Bharti Airtel's review petition, the company will still have the option to file a curative plea.

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Meanwhile, the company has posted a net profit of Rs 284 crore in the first quarter of 2021-22.

Earlier this month, Vodafone Idea (Vi) also moved to the apex court urging it to look into the 'miscalculations' done by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in calculating the AGR dues. Vi told the top court that it is a "travesty of justice" and "inconceivable" that the errors were not allowed to be corrected.

Back in 2019, the apex court had widened the scope of AGR to include non-telecom items, leaving Airtel and Vi with enormous dues.

(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)

First Published:Aug 20, 2021 12:00 PM IST