The Supreme Court has dismissed the petitions of seven telecom companies seeking a review of its judgement by which the 122 licences for 2G spectrum in 22 circles was cancelled saying it did not suffer from any error apparent warranting its reconsideration.
"We have carefully perused the review petition and the record of the case and are convinced that the judgment of which review has been sought does not suffer from any error apparent warranting its reconsideration," the bench said while giving separate orders on the review petitions filed by telecom companies.
The companies, whose review petitions were dismissed, are Videocon Telecommunications Ltd, S Tel Ltd, Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd, Tata Teleservices Ltd, Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Pvt Ltd, Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt Ltd and Idea Cellular Ltd.
The apex court had in its February 2 verdict also imposed heavy costs of Rs five crore on Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt Ltd (Swan Telecom Ltd), Unitech Wireless Group and Tata Teleservices Ltd which were benefited by a "wholly arbitrary and unconstitutional" action of award of licenses to them and for off-loading their stakes for many thousand crores of rupees in the name of fresh infusion of equity or transfer of equity.
It had also ordered Loop Telecom Pvt Ltd, S-Tel, Allianz Infratech and Sistema Shyam Tele Services Ltd, which were also beneficiary of the decision, to pay a cost of Rs 50 lakhs each.
The apex court had said the allocation of 2G spectrum in 2008 during the tenure of A Raja as Telecom Minister was "wholly arbitrary, capricious and contrary to public interest apart from being violative of the doctrine of equality" to "favour some companies at the cost of the public exchequer".
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