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Vodafone Idea Shares Today: Shares of Vodafone Idea (Vi) declined on Tuesday as investors booked profits following a sharp rally over the past eight sessions. The stock, which had gained more than 20 per cent recently and 7 per cent on Friday ahead of a crucial Supreme Court hearing, traded 3 per cent lower at Rs 7.9 on the NSE at 10:25 am.

Vi’s shares touched a 52-week high of Rs 13.5 and a 52-week low of Rs 6.12. The company’s current market capitalisation stands at about Rs 85,300 crore.

The sell-off came as the Supreme Court prepared to hear Vodafone Idea’s plea on 19 September challenging an additional Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) demand raised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The telecom operator has contested a fresh demand of Rs 9,450 crore, saying it exceeds the scope of the apex court’s earlier ruling on AGR liabilities.

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According to Vi’s petition filed on 8 September, the additional dues include Rs 2,774 crore for FY18–19 relating to the merged entity and Rs 5,675 crore tied to pre-merger Vodafone Group liabilities. The company argued that some amounts have been double-counted and asked for a comprehensive reassessment of dues starting from the pre-FY17 period.

While the government has placed these revised dues under its AGR moratorium until 31 March 2026, Vodafone Idea said the additional demand would intensify its financial stress as it tries to raise funds to strengthen its 4G network and accelerate its 5G rollout to compete with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.

Vi currently owes around Rs 83,400 crore in AGR dues, with annual payments of about Rs 18,000 crore beginning in March 2026. Its overall liabilities to the government, including penalty and interest, are estimated at around Rs 2 trillion.

The company warned in its petition that the new demands threatened its existence and the livelihoods of thousands of employees working directly or indirectly for the telecom firm. Vodafone Idea services nearly 198 million subscribers and employs over 18,000 people.

Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) is a portion of a telecom company’s gross revenue on which licence fees and spectrum usage charges are calculated. The Supreme Court had in March 2020 finalised Vodafone Idea’s AGR dues up to FY16–17 based on DoT’s calculations, disallowing self-assessment or reassessment of the dues.

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Senior Sub-editor at Zee Business English

shweta.shukla@India.com

Shweta Birendra Shukla is a journalist covering the stock market and corporate affairs, with prior stints at Business ...LATEST NEWSBy accepting cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.