Tata Teleservices Ltd is seeking a review of the apex court's judgment cancelling its licences for the 2G spectrum.

The company was allotted spectrum during the tenure of former telecom minister A Raja, in three circles and is moving the Supreme Court with a review petition filed nearly a month after the court on 2 February cancelled 122 new 2G licences granted to nine telecom companies including Tata Teleservices Ltd.

According to the company, it had applied for the licences over 18 months before the 2008 licensing process began.

Under the court's direction the licences for the radio waves would be sold through auction.

A bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly (since retired) had also imposed a heavy cost of Rs5 crore on Tata Teleservices Ltd, Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt Ltd (Swan Telecom Ltd) and Unitech Wireless Group. Further the court said the companies had benefited by a "wholly arbitrary and unconstitutional" action of award of licenses to them.

Licences were granted to Tata Teleservices for three circles in Assam, North East and Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the apex court, the allocation of the 2G spectrum under Raja was "wholly arbitrary, capricious and contrary to public interest apart from being violative of the doctrine of equality" to "favour some companies at the cost of the public exchequer".

Meanwhile, a Reuters report, quoted telecoms secretary R Chandrashekhar as saying that the government would decide this week what legal steps were needed to be taken in view of the Supreme Court's order to cancel telecoms licences, but it was not looking to challenge the order. He added, the telecom ministry could take at least 400 days to complete an auction of second-generation spectrum.

The Supreme Court, had on 2 February ruled that all 122 telecoms licences awarded in a scandal-tainted 2008 sale be revoked in four months and had called on the government to redistribute the licences and radio airwaves through an auction.

(See: Tata Teleservices may file a review petition against licences cancellation)