SC stays refund of higher call rates by pvt cos to BSNL, MTNL

New Delhi, Apr 5 (UNI) The Supreme Court today stayed for three weeks the refund of higher call rates charged by private operators on calls made from their networks to to BSNL and MTNL numbers.

A bench comprising Mr Justice H K Sema and Mr Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta also issued notices to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), BSNL and MTNL on an appeal filed by private operators such as Cell Phone Operators Association of India, Airtel, Idea, Bharti and Hutch.

The appeal is against the order of Telecommunication Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) dated December 22, 2006 upholding the TRAI order of February 27, 2006.

The TDSAT had held that differential tarrifs imposed by private operators in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to BSNL and MTNL numbers within the same state were discriminatory and violated the conditions of licences issued by the Centre in 2005.

The appellants, however, contended that they incurred higher costs for such calls and were therefore entitled to levy higher charges.

UNI