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Indian Leader in Phone Fray

NEW DELHI — India's cabinet decided to invoke a constitutional provision under which President Pratibha Devisingh Patil can ask the Supreme Court to clarify some parts of its Feb. 2 order canceling 122 mobile-phone licenses, including all but one of those of AFK Sistema's Indian unit.

The cabinet "cleared referring certain questions" to the top court, Telecommunications Minister Kapil Sibal said Tuesday. He declined to elaborate further.

If the Supreme Court's response to the president "is positive, it will favor the government in fighting the case before the court," said Davendra B. Goswami, a constitutional lawyer, who practices in the top court in New Delhi.

(Bloomberg)

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