Anil Ambani gets Supreme Court contempt notice

In an embarrassment for Reliance Communication chief Anil Ambani, the Supreme Court on Monday issued a contempt notice against the corporate honcho on a petition moved by Swedish equipment manufacturer Ericsson India over outstanding dues of Rs 550 crore.

Under the Supreme Court protocol, once a contempt notice is issued, their personal presence is required on the next date of hearing, however, the court can waive off the requirement. To that end, Ambani's lawyers urged the bench to grant him exemption from personal appearance, but the judges refused and posted the matter for hearing in four weeks. Now, to avoid a court presence, Ambani can settle dues and seek exemption.

Ericsson lawyer, senior advocate Dushyant Dave submitted that Ambani had committed gross contempt and should not be spared.

So, the bench issued the notice despite senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for RCom, making an upfront offer to pay Rs 118 crore. It even brought a draft of that amount to be handed over to Ericsson in court, but Dave refused to accept the amount.

When Sibal requested the court to allow sdeposit of draft with the Court Registry, the bench said, "This will not lead you anywhere. You (RCom) have to deposit the entire amount."

The bench, however, permitted the deposit with the registry and asked Ambani to file his response to the contempt petition.