In a relief for Vodafone Idea (Vi), the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday modified its earlier order dated October 27, allowing the Centre to take a call on the company’s entire adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, instead of limiting it to the additional demand of Rs 9,450 crore, of which Rs 5,606 crore pertains to 2016–17, CNBC-TV18 reported. The SC said that the Centre can reconsider and reconcile the telecom company's pending dues on all adjusted gross revenue, and it will not be restricted to AGR dues for the financial year 2016-17, PTI [1] reported.
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SC Expands Scope of AGR Review for Vodafone Idea
On October 27, the bench had said that the "prayer in the petition itself restricts its claim only to the additional AGR demand raised by the respondent for the period up to the Financial Year 2016-17."
On Monday, a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran was urged by the counsel for the telecom firm that it wanted a correction in the October 27 order, according to the report [1]. The clarification from a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India came during an oral mention made by Vodafone Idea (Vi), represented by senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Mahesh Agarwal, post-lunch, The Hindu reported on November 3, 2025.
Corrects Earlier Observation
"There's an error in Para 6 where the order said we only asked for relief against additional AGR dues. We had made a composite prayer against additional AGR and the reassessment of all AGR dues," the lawyer said.
Vi pointed out that though a composite plea was made to reassess “all” the AGR, the sixth paragraph of the court’s October 27 order inadvertently said the telecom major was asking only for a reconciliation of the “additional” AGR demand made by the Department of Telecom (DoT) for the period up to the financial 2016-17.
“It was only a simple correction. We had sought a composite prayer to reassess and reconcile all the AGR dues,” Agarwal confirmed to The Hindu in a telephonic call on Monday.
Significant Relief for a Debt-Laden Telco
The top court clarified that the telecom firm had sought relief on both the additional AGR dues and the reassessment of all similar dues. The additional AGR dues of the company amount to about Rs 9,450 crore, while the total AGR demand stands at over Rs 83,500 crore as of March 2025.
The modified order is a sign of relief for the financially stressed telco, in which the government holds around 49 percent stake.
Speaking to Business Standard, Vodafone Idea's counsel Mahesh Agarwal said the company would make its representation to the government once the order is uploaded.
“There were errors in the calculator used for AGR dues. The principal amount may go down once the figures are reconciled,” he reportedly said.
A detailed order copy, which will clarify whether the latest ruling will extend to other telecom companies as well, is expected to be uploaded by Tuesday.
The Court has modified its Vodafone Idea AGR Case order issued on October 27, the Legal Counsel for the company told NDTV Profit.
Mahesh Agarwal while talking to NDTV Profit said that the telecom company will make the representation to the government once the order is out. He further added that there were lots of mistakes in the calculation of the AGR dues. According to him the principal amount may go down once the amount is reconciled.
Exchange Seeks Clarification on TGH Investment Report
In parallel development, the exchange has sought clarification from Vodafone Idea on November 3, 2025, with reference to a news report published on News18.com the same day, titled "US PE Giant TGH In Talks To Invest Up To USD 6 Billion In Vodafone Idea."
Vodafone Idea on Monday denied the media report claiming that US-based private equity firm TGH was in talks to invest up to USD 6 billion in the company. In a clarification to the stock exchanges, the telecom operator stated that no such proposal was currently under consideration by its Board of Directors.
Clarification on TGH Investment
"The Company keeps exploring various opportunities and options to raise funds within the authorisations given by the Board. As and when such proposals are considered by the Board that warrant disclosures, the Company complies with the disclosure obligations under Sebi (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)," Vodafone Idea said in its filing dated November 3, 2025.
It added, "Currently, there is no proposal being considered by the Board that requires disclosure as reported by the media. We wish to reiterate and clarify that the Company will comply with SEBI Listing Regulations and duly keep the stock exchanges informed of all the price-sensitive information."
