Vodafone Idea shares fell as much as 12 per cent on Thursday following the Supreme Court’s written order permitting the Centre to reassess the telecom company’s additional adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.
As of 12.03 pm, the Vodafone Idea Ltd stock has recovered from its intraday low to Rs 8.79, down 6.09 per cent during the day. Earlier the stock had touched an intra-day low of Rs 8.21.
This development also impacted the larger sector and affected other companies. Indus Towers and Bharti Airtel fell 3.3 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively, while Bharti Hexacom declined 2.71 per cent to Rs. 1,866 per share.
The court’s written judgement on October 29 specified that the order is applicable solely to Vodafone Idea and is restricted to incremental AGR dues incurred up to the financial year 2016-17, referencing the “peculiar facts and circumstances” of the case.
Earlier, the apex court, on October 27, allowed the Centre to reconsider Vodafone Idea’s AGR dues. Vodafone Idea had touched a one-year high of Rs. 10.57 on October 27, driven by expectations of government relief, and had risen 3.5 per cent in 2025 to date.
Analysts said that the Supreme Court order applies only to the incremental AGR demand, which is solely dependent on government policy. Without substantial policy relief, Vodafone Idea’s stock will not improve significantly, they added.
Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, on October 29, announced that the government will analyse the order’s implications and will wait for Vodafone Idea to apply for seeking relief before making policy decisions.
The apex court noted that the Centre now holds 49 per cent equity in Vodafone Idea and that around 20 crore customers use its telecom services, making the issue one of significant public interest.
Vodafone’s latest petition flagged a fresh AGR demand of Rs 9,450 crore raised by the Department of Telecommunications. The petition contended that a substantial portion of the demand pertained to the pre-2017 period, which had already been settled by the Supreme Court.
