The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) has initiated a probe almost six-year-old dispute between the Tatas and the Aditya Birla Group.
Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd alleged that the Tata group violated the license condition in the 2005-06 period. During this period, Tata Group was a partner in Idea Cellular and owned more than 10 percent equity in both the groups.
The CBI is probing whether the Tata group violated telecom license conditions by holding more than 10 percent equity in more than one company in a service area.
As per the license norms, an entity is not allowed to hold more than 10% in more than one company providing mobile services in an area.
Recently, the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) issued notices to three Tata group companies, asking them to furnish their shareholding details by June 13.
Last year, the DoT asked MCA to examine if Tata Sons held more than 10 per cent stake in Idea Cellular and Tata Teleservices at the same time.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has already sent the relevant files to the CBI. An internal DoT note revealed that the vigilance wing of the DoT forwarded a bunch of papers received by them from the CBI on the same subject.
The DoT had earlier sought information regarding the shareholding pattern of the Tata group in Idea, TTSL and TTML from the ministry of corporate affairs.
"We are in no position to comment on whether or not any department of the government is enquiring into any matter. We have not received any enquiry from any department of the government," said a spokesperson of Tata Industries Ltd (TIL).
Ratan Tata led Tata group operates services through Tata Teleservices Ltd (TTSL) and Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Ltd (TTML) in some of the areas overlapping that of Idea Cellular.