PIL Filed In SC Against Vodafone Arbitration

Bishwajit Bhattacharyya, former additional solicitor general, has moved the Supreme Court, seeking to restrain the government from going ahead with arbitration over recovering about Rs 20,000 crore as tax dues from the UK-based telecom company, Vodafone. The plea sought a directive from the court, asking the government to recover the amount immediately.

Bhattacharyya filed his petition before a vacation bench led by Justice Vikramajit Sen. The case will be heard on July 1.

Bhattacharyya said the Centre was not implementing the rule, amended in 2012, to claim the taxes and requested the court to direct the Centre to implement the Income Tax Act “impartially, even-handedly and without fear or favour.”

“It amounts to arbitrariness of state action not to enforce law (Section 9 of IT Act) for 27 months after its enactment. This violates Article 14 of the Constitution,” the petition said, adding, “Allowing arbitration proceedings under India-Netherlands BIPA (Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement) would flagrantly violate rule of law.”