By Arpan Chaturvedi
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Vodafone Idea has gone to India’s Supreme Court to challenge the government’s rejection of a request by the debt-saddled telecom giant to waive more than $5 billion it owes the government, documents show.
The government on April 29 rejected the request by Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra for a waiver on interest and penalties it owes on $9.76 billion in dues, saying the survival of India’s third-largest telecom player was at risk, according to the letter seen by Reuters on Sunday.
“The request cannot be considered,” the communications ministry wrote.
Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between UK-based Vodafone Group Plc and India’s Aditya Birla Group, filed a plea in the Supreme Court on Thursday asking the judges to direct New Delhi to act “in public interest”, given the “sensitive telecom sector”, according to the filing, which is not public.
Vodafone Idea and the government did not respond to requests for comment.
The company has struggled to pay outstanding spectrum and revenue-sharing dues since a landmark 2019 Supreme Court order that widened the scope of revenues on which the dues are assessed. The ruling on adjusted gross revenue has been the biggest overhang for India’s telecom industry, increasing demands on companies by billions of dollars.
To help Vodafone Idea, the government has over time converted part of the dues into equity and increased its stake in the company to 49%.
The court is likely to hear the case this week. The judges have repeatedly rejected Vodafone Idea’s requests to change their decision ordering recovery of outstanding dues.
It was not clear how much relief Vodafone Idea is seeking on the $9.76 billion it owes. The filing says penalties and interest exceed $5 billion.
While bigger rival Bharti Airtel also faces dues and has challenged them unsuccessfully in court repeatedly, Vodafone Idea’s financial health is less secure.
“No support will lead to a point of no return,” Vodafone Idea’s Moondra wrote in his April 17 letter. The company “will not be able to operate beyond FY26.”
He said that if the current situation is not resolved, it will “create a larger damage to country’s reputation and will shake the confidence of global investors”.
Vodafone Idea’s net debt stood at $25 billion as of September, brokerage firm CLSA says.
(Reporting by Arpan Chaturvedi; Editing by Aditya Kalra and William Mallard)
