The Supreme Court today refused to grant 400 days to the government to complete the process of fresh auctioning of the 2G spectrum licences but extended the deadline for it from June 2 to August 31, 2012. A Bench of Justices G S Singvhi and K S Radhakrishnan said, the existing licences for 2G spectrum will continue to be operational till September 7, 2012. The Bench further said, its February 2 order cancelling 122 licences, allocated during the tenure of A Raja, will remain operational.

The Bench was hearing the Centre's application, seeking clarification of its direction in the February 2, 2012 judgement which had fixed June 2 as the deadline, when the 122 licenses for 2G spectrum, issued in 2008, would stand quashed.