CJI agrees to consider Vodafone-Idea’s application for registration to correct calculation errors in adjusted gross income contributions

On July 15, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud agreed to hear Vodafone-Idea’s petition seeking correction of alleged errors in the calculation of adjusted gross income (AGR) dues.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the telecom service provider (TSP), orally mentioned the plea before the Chief Justice.

A curative petition against the dismissal of earlier petitions seeking correction of alleged errors in AGR-related dues has not yet been filed in court, the TSP said.

In July 2021, the Supreme Court had said in an order that what the TSPs actually wanted, under the guise of correcting “arithmetical errors”, was a recalculation of their AGR running into crores of rupees.

The court had then said that the applications filed by the telecom majors to “correct” mathematical errors, which on “prima facie” appear “harmless”, were a backdoor way of recalculating their AGR liabilities – a route expressly prohibited by the Supreme Court in an earlier order.

In a September 2020 ruling, the Supreme Court ordered the TSPs to pay annual installments of 10% from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2031.