The DoT has sought Rs 76.08 bn in dues from GAIL India for 2017-18 as the department appeared to be not pressing for immediate payment of Rs 1.83 trillion in past dues it had previously assessed from the state-owned gas utility.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) sent a notice to GAIL soon after the February 14 hearing in the Supreme Court on dues owned by telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, sources privy to the development said.

The dues now being sought from GAIL include a penalty for late payment, they said.

The Supreme Court's original ruling in October last year led the DoT to demand Rs 1.47 trillion in unpaid dues on licence fees and spectrum usage charges from telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.

Its demand related to a 14-year-old dispute regarding the definition of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), which the Supreme Court agreed should include all kinds of income generated by the telcos.

Alongside, the DoT also raised a demand of over Rs 3 trillion from non-telecom PSUs such as GAIL, Oil India and PowerGrid for telecom licences these firms had primarily acquired for internal communication purposes.

Shares of the company declined Rs 2.8, or 2.4%, to settle at Rs 114.05. The total volume of shares traded was 239,462 at the BSE (Tuesday).