HC adjourns hearing on Idea plea as DoT seeks time -Governance Now

HC adjourns hearing on Idea plea as DoT seeks time

A company bench of the High Court held on July 4 that the licences of Spice could not be transferred to Idea for complying with licensing and merger guidelines

PTI | July 15, 2011

The Delhi High Court on Thursday adjourned hearing on Idea Cellular's plea, challenging the order of the company bench which said no to transfer of six licences of Spice Communications to the Aditya Birla group firm which acquired it in 2008.

A division bench of justices Vikramjit Sen and Siddharth Mridul will hear Idea's plea on Friday.

The division bench adjourned the hearing after counsels appearing for the Department of Telecom (DoT) sought time to place documents before the court.

A company bench of the High Court held on July 4 that the licences of Spice could not be transferred to Idea, as the company had not complied with licensing and merger guidelines.

The single member bench had also slapped a fine of Rs 1 crore for not giving the correct information to the court.

Passing the judgement on the merger application of Idea and Spice, it had said Idea did not share DoT's rejection letters and failed to place on record relevant documents.

"It is directed that notwithstanding anything stated in the sanctioned scheme and in the order dated February 5, 2010, the six overlapping licences of the Spice would not stand transferred or vested with Idea till prior permission of DoT is obtained," Justice Manmohan had said in 51-page order.

The High Court had further said that "costs should be imposed on Idea for not bringing to the notice of this Court the rejection letters dated January 7, 2010 and January 18, 2010 issued by DoT and for not placing on record relevant and material documents like Licence, Merger Guidelines and correspondence exchanged between the parties."

The company bench of the High Court had further said that till DoT gives its permission to Idea to use the licences of the Spice Communication, the "overlapping licences of Spice shall forthwith stand transferred with DoT. The spectrum allocated for such overlapping licences shall also forthwith revert back to DoT."

It had further said that as Idea has used the overlapping licences without any prior permission of DoT from February 5, 2010 till date "in contravention of the Licence and Merger Guidelines, it is directed that it shall be open to DoT to pass any order for such breach".

Comments

Other News

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.

Cabinet approves viability gap funding to develop grid-scale energy storage systems

The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, has approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme for Development of Grid-Scale Energy Storage Systems, with a total financial support of Rs.14,500 crore for the period FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. The scheme aims to support the development o

Cabinet creates a pathway to absorb Agniveers in Defence Forces

An objective assessment in terms of organisational requirements and operational efficiency has brought out the outstanding performance of Agniveers in terms of skills, motivation levels, physical fitness and technological prowess. As envisaged earlier, based on merit, 25% of Agniveers will be offered reg