The Delhi High Court on Monday issued contempt notices against telecom major Idea Cellular Ltd (ICL) and its chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla for allegedly disobeying its earlier order by providing 3G services to new customers in circles where it lacks the requisite licences.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher asked the telecom company and five others including Birla to file their responses within four weeks and posted the matter for further hearing on August 5.

Besides the telecom company and its chairman, the court also issued notices to Himanshu Kapania, Managing Director of ICL, Akshay Moondra, Chief Financial Officer of the firm, P Lakshminarayana and Pankaj Kapdeo, Company Secretaries of ICL.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had earlier moved the court seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the telecom firm and its office bearers for "wilful and deliberate" disobedience of a judicial order passed on April 12 by which ICL was restrained from providing 3G services to its new customers.

DoT, in its contempt plea, had said that instead of complying with the orders passed by this court, the petitioner (Idea Cellular) had filed an additional affidavit stating that it has 'additionally decided' to provide 3G services to those existing customers who meet the criteria. There is no criteria provided by this court, it had said.