"Why should the government not file an appeal when it thinks that it is an appealable order?" the minister reportedly told ET Now, an online news portal. Jaitley was responding to a question about the tax department's decision to appeal a Bombay High Court ruling made in October 2015.
Vodafone won its case against the Indian authorities’ (ITAT) transfer pricing adjustment in October 2015 over the sale of a call centre, which the government is now appealing to the Supreme Court using a Special Leave Petition.
Jaitley rejected criticism of the Indian government’s handling of the Bombay High Court case in an interview published on 20 April, asserting that "there is no company in the world that is immune from paying taxes”.
Vodafone is awaiting international arbitration on another case relating to the ITAT’s imposition of retrospective legislation on the 2007 purchase of an Indian telecom group.
