SC allows 2G auction but restrains Centre from issuing licences

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Centre to proceed with its scheduled auction of 2G spectrum in March, but restrained it from issuing licences to successful bidders.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Adarsh Kumar Goel said, “Let the auction go on and let us see what emerges from it”. The court said the whole process would be subject to the final outcome of the proceedings.

“There is prima facie inconsistency in the stand of the government but that is not a ground for staying it (the auction),” the court said, after hearing the Centre as well as private telecom companies. It fixed the matter for further hearing on March 26.

The Centre on January 9 had issued notice inviting applications for all the 17 circles.

The issue of upcoming auction had first come to the apex court after the Centre had filed an appeal against the interim order of the Tripura High Court allowing telecom firms Bharti Hexacom Ltd and Reliance Telecom Ltd to submit two separate bids for a total of 8.8 MHz spectrum in the North-East circle.

The apex court had on Wednesday stayed the proceedings before different high courts and decided to hear on priority basis a batch of petitions raising various issues against the tender conditions for the auction of 2G spectrum.