Direct-to-home (DTH) operator Dish TV on Friday said it has received a demand notice from the government for payment of Rs 4,164.05 crore, which includes licence fee and interest. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) through a letter dated December 24, 2020 asked the Essel group firm to pay the said sum towards licence fee from the period from the date of issuance of DTH licence till the financial year 2018-19, the company said in a regulatory filing.
The MIB has intimated that basis the accounts of the company and payment made by it towards licence fee from the period from the date of issuance of DTH license till FY 2018-19, "a number of Rs 4,164.05 crore is payable by the company and has directed the company to remit" the amount within a period of 15 days, the filing said. The said amount includes the license fee payable and accrued interest thereon, it added. The company said it is studying the communication of the MIB to determine next steps
The DTH license fee matter has already been through several rounds of litigation, the final outcomes of which are yet to be argued and concluded, the company said adding it will update the exchanges in the event of any material developments that take place in relation to this.