US law firm sends a Rs 73-lakh bill to DoT over Loop case

NEW DELHI: New York-based law firm Curtis, Mallet-Prevost , Colt & Mosle LLP has demanded a fee of $112,721, or about Rs 73.26 lakh, from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for representing it in an international arbitration initiated by Loop Telecom promoters Khaitan Holdings Mauritius last year. The DoT, while seeking financial approval, said the law firm has given justifications for its two bills of $97,220 and $15,501.

According to internal documents reviewed by ET, the finance ministry has sought a 'judicious review' of the first bill for service in terms of number of hours put in and 'a clear distribution' of the second bill related to travel costs.