Vodafone Idea AGR Case Live: Supreme Court defers case to October 27; Stock falls 3%

The Supreme Court has postponed the Vodafone Idea AGR dues case to October 27, extending the wait for a verdict in the long-standing matter. The plea, filed by Vodafone Idea challenging the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) additional demand of Rs 5,606 crore, was listed for hearing today but could not be taken up. The next hearing is now officially scheduled for Monday, October 27.

The Supreme Court’s Court C1 list for today places Vodafone Idea’s AGR dues plea as Item 18, following cases numbered 1 to 3 and 5 to 17. According to the sequence, the hearing is expected to take place around midday (between 11:30 AM and 12 PM), depending on the pace of earlier proceedings. The court will then proceed to items 34 to 36 and 40 to 43, followed by any pass-overs and remaining matters.

During the October 6 hearing, the Supreme Court deferred the matter after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought time on behalf of the government.
The case had earlier been postponed on September 26, marking multiple delays in proceedings. The telecom major remains under intense financial strain as it continues to service spectrum and AGR liabilities.

As of March 2025, Vodafone Idea’s outstanding AGR dues stood at ₹83,400 crore. The company reported bank debt of ₹1,945 crore as of June 30, while its deferred obligations toward spectrum (till FY44) and AGR (till FY31) together amount to nearly ₹1.99 lakh crore.
The operator is banking on tariff hikes and fresh funding to sustain operations.

Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) is the base used by the government to compute license fees and spectrum usage charges for telecom operators.

Initially, AGR covered both telecom and non-telecom income, such as interest or asset sales, which significantly inflated dues. In 2021, the government revised the rules, excluding non-telecom income from AGR calculations to reduce financial stress on telecom players like Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel.

Vodafone Idea shares remained in focus on Monday, October 13, as investors awaited the Supreme Court’s hearing on the company’s plea against the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) additional Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) demand.

The stock opened weak but recovered from early losses, trading around ₹14.30, up nearly 3.5% from the day’s low, as traders anticipated a possible relief or clarity from the apex court. Market sentiment remains cautious, given the company’s high debt load and pending liabilities, even as the government holds a 49% stake through the 2021 equity conversion package.

During the October 6 hearing, the Supreme Court deferred the matter after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought time on behalf of the government.

The case had earlier been postponed on September 26, marking multiple delays in proceedings. The telecom major remains under intense financial strain as it continues to service spectrum and AGR liabilities.

According to the plea, Vodafone Idea has asked the apex court to quash DoT’s additional AGR demand of Rs 5,606 crore related to FY2016-17.
The company has also requested the court to direct DoT to re-assess and reconcile dues as per the ‘Deduction Verification Guidelines’ issued on February 3, 2020. The Centre, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, earlier said discussions were ongoing to reach a resolution.