The full judgment, recently delivered by the High Court regarding the issue of Grameenphone (GP)'s spectrum assignment and licence renewal fees and VAT, has been published and the telecom operator has filed a leave-to-appeal petition against it (verdict).
GP lawyers sought status quo on the HC judgment before the court of the Chamber Judge of the Supreme Court on Thursday; hearing on the matter would again be held on Sunday, Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) counsel Barrister Khandaker Reza-e Raquib told the FE.
The full judgment was published on February 27, he said.
A HC bench comprising Justice Farid Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Hassan
Arif passed the judgment on February 13 last.
In its judgment, the HC directed to add, not deduct, value added tax (VAT) to the solid amount of Taka demanded by BTRC from GP as spectrum assignment and license renewal fees.
The HC also declared the BTRC demand of payment of additional fee (Tk 2.37 billion) from GP for spectrum assignment, which was allocated by BTRC to GP for 18 years in 2008, illegal.
Barrister Rokon Uddin Mahmud assisted Barrister Fatema Anwar stood for GP in the court while Additional Attorney General Advocate Murad Reza for NBR and Advocate Imtiaz Mahmud and Mr Reza-e Raquib for BTRC.
Meanwhile, hearing on the rule issued by the High Court upon a writ petition filed another telecom operator Robi continued at the HC Division.
