Delhi High Court lifts stay order on Bharti Airtel 3G pact ban

A panel of judges at the Delhi High Court today set aside the court's earlier order that had halted the execution of a government ban on top mobile phone carrier Bharti Airtel's 3G service pacts with rival carriers, a lawyer on the case said.

Maneesha Dhir, a lawyer on the case for the telecom ministry, did not give any further detail.

"Bharti Airtel has always maintained the highest standards of compliance. We believe the 3G arrangements are in compliance with all applicable laws and licensing conditions. These arrangements are also hugely beneficial to customers and discontinuing these will cause grave inconvenience to them. We await a copy of the order of the Hon'ble Delhi High Court and will consider appropriate legal action," the company said in a statement.

In a long-running dispute, the government had last month asked Bharti to immediately stop 3G services in zones where it does not have its own airwaves and is providing the premium services through pacts with other carriers.

The Delhi High Court had temporarily halted the execution of the government order after Bharti appealed against it. The court had also said Bharti would not immediately need to pay a $65 million penalty imposed by the government.

Vodafone Group Plc's Indian unit and Idea Cellular are also involved in similar disputes with the government.

The Bharti Airtel stock closed 2.46 per cent down on the BSE.

With inputs from Reuters