The central government Thursday moved the Supreme Court for"further and final extension of time" for the auction and allocationof 122 2G licenses and spectrum that were cancelled by the apex court by itsorder of Feb 2, 2012.
The application by the government has said that it needed time till Nov 12,2012, to commence the auction and another 40 days to complete auction andallocate licenses and spectrum.
The government said it needed further extension of time for the auction of 2Glicenses in "public interest" to ensure that the "auctionyielded maximum revenue to the government of India. It would, therefore, be inthe interest of justice to grant the extension needed."
The application listed eight steps that the government has already taken toensure the "conduct and completion of the auction" in accordance withthe orders of the apex court.
The steps so far complied with included Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's(TRAI) recommendations on the auction of the cancelled licences and the studyof the same by an internal committee of the department of telecommunications(DoT) which submitted its report April 30.
The government also said that the Telecom Commission had made recommendationsto the government April 30 after considering the report of the internalcommittee and the recommendations of the TRAI.
The application, seeking extension of time for ensuring the efficient conductof the auction of spectrum, said that the government after the auction bids hadissued letter of intent to Times Internet Limited Aug 6.
The earlier extension of three months given by the apex court is due to expireAug 31.
The apex court by its Feb 2 order had cancelled all the 122 licenses that weregranted by former telecom minister A. Raja on and after Jan 10, 2008.
The court while cancelling the 2G licences had given the government fourmonths' time till June 2 to complete the process of auctioning the cancelledlicences. This was also the date when the licences that were cancelled were tobe terminated.
The court gave the extension of three months till Aug 31 on the plea of thecentral government seeking 400 days' time till March 2013 for conducting theauction of the cancelled licences.