Following the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold its verdict on the cancellation of 122 2G licences, several affected telcos have voiced their intention to fight back.
In an emailed statement yesterday [4 April], mobile JV Uninor, which had…
Following the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold its verdict on the cancellation of 122 2G licences, several affected telcos have voiced their intention to fight back.
In an emailed statement yesterday [4 April], mobile JV Uninor, which had 22 licences revoked, said: “By entertaining the review petition and hearing the case again, the Supreme Court would have been able to appreciate arguments and evidence that challenges the very basis of its order.
“We will now move a curative petition and again surge the Supreme Court to keep its order in abeyance until these arguments are seen and appreciated by the new Bench.”
Similarly, a Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL) spokesperson stated that “to protect its interests further”, it is currently “in the process of deliberating its future course of legal actions.”
In early February, the Supreme Court announced that 122 licences would be cancelled after concluding they had been illegally granted in 2008.
Shortly afterwards, several companies – including SSTL, Uninor, Tata Teleservices, Videocon and Idea Cellular – filed review petitions before the Supreme Court to overturn the judgement.
Idea declined to comment on the recent court decision while Tata Teleservices and Videocon were unavailable for comment.
A new 2G auction is expected to take place but the telecoms ministry was recently quoted saying that the process would take at least 400 days. This means that the operators affected by licence cancellation will have to wait approximately a year to be able to provide 2G services again.
Both SSTL and Uninor have recently announced plans to commence legal proceedings against the Indian government within the next few months in case the 2G dispute cannot be settled.
