The Bombay High Court on June 8, 2026 quashed the Centre’s retrospective one-time spectrum charge on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, giving combined relief of over ₹24,000 crore, Outlook Business reported.
A bench of Justices Manish Pitale and Shreeram V Shirsat set aside the 2012 decisions and demand notices, and told the Centre to return bank guarantees. Other reports put the relief lower, at about ₹10,500 crore, as the figure depends on what is counted. Details are based on Outlook Business and Business Today.
The ruling at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| What was quashed | 2012 decisions, demand notices and related actions |
| Origin | Charge on spectrum above 6.2 MHz, retrospective from July 2008 |
| Airtel | ₹16,500 crore liability including interest, as of March 2025 |
| Vi | ₹7,581 crore exposure |
| Next | Centre's appeal; a separate matter is before the Supreme Court |
What the court said
The court said the government “has not been able to justify the said decisions.” It found that operators had already paid licence fees and spectrum charges, and that there was no contractual or statutory basis for a retrospective levy.
The dispute is not over. A separate 2019 TDSAT ruling is under challenge at the Supreme Court. The Centre has also appealed this ruling, and the Supreme Court was reported to have declined a stay in August.
Why it matters for mobile shops
This does not change any plan or price. It matters most for Vi, whose finances remain under strain, because removing a large possible liability helps it raise money. Better finances can mean better networks, but that takes time.
Correction (November 1, 2026): An earlier version gave a much larger relief figure. Reports put it between about ₹10,500 crore and ₹24,000 crore.
