In a major relief to Bharti Airtel, the Supreme Court told the telecoms department to not take any ‘coercive action’ against the country’s largest mobile phone company by revenues and subscribers, till April 11.
The apex court was hearing Bharti Airtel’s plea of staying telecom department (DoT’s) order to shut down 3G services within 24 hours in circles where the telco does not have its own frequencies to offer these services.
Earlier on March 15 DoT asked the Airtel to terminate its 3G roaming pacts with telcos in 7 circles and also slapped a Rs.350 crore fine.
on March 18, Bharti Airtel appealed against this order in the Delhi High Court, and got a stay on the execution of the DoT order. However a division bench of the High Court reversed the previous order on 4th April,2013 and asked Airtel to shut down its 3G mobile services via ICRA in Haryana, Kolkata, Uttar Pradesh East, Maharashtra and Goa, Gujarat, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh & Chattigarh circles.