India's DoT to seek legal view on Sistema, Telenor invoking treaties

New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) India's Department of Telecom (DoT) will seek legal opinion and views of the ministries of finance and external affairs on foreign telecom firms like Sistema and Telenor invoking bilateral treaties to protect their investments in the aftermath of the country's Supreme Court verdict cancelling their telecom licences. Sources said the DoT would seek opinion of the Attorney General, the nation's highest law officer, on whether the order of the apex court -- that cancelled 122 2G telecom licences -- can be challenged under bilateral investment protection treaties India has signed with various countries. The Attorney General would be asked if foreign investors can claim damages from India for violation of the treaties and for failure to protect their investments. Sources said DoT would also seek views of Department of Economic Affairs (Ministry of Finance), Department of Legal Affairs, Department of Commerce and Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion on the subject. The Supreme Court had on February 2 quashed allotment of 122 2G licences given in 2008 by the then Telecom Minister A Raja on the ground that they were issued in a "totally arbitrary and unconstitutional" manner. The decision impacted operators like Uninor of Norway and Russia's Sistema who had bought equity stakes in the Indian firms that were allocated 2G licences in 2008. Since the order, foreign investors like Bahrain Telecom, a partner in S Tel, and Etisalat DB of UAE have announced closure of their operations in the country. On the other hand, Telenor, which partners Indian real estate firm Unitech in Uninor, and Sistema (joint venture partner in Sistema Shyam Teleservices (SSTL), have invoked bilateral treaties to secure their investments in the country. PTI