New Delhi, May 16 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday asked the West Bengal government to pay 25 per cent of the outstanding Dearness Allowance (DA) to its employees within the next three months.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta, which was hearing a plea of the West Bengal government against the Calcutta High Court order on the issue, asked the state government to pay the DA arrears for 2009 to 2019 within three months.
Around six lakh state employees would benefit from the apex court’s interim order.
The state government, represented by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, told the bench that the exchequer will have to bear a burden of Rs 10,000 crore.
The total outstanding DA dues, according to lawyers, is around 41,000 crore. The bench has now fixed the plea for hearing in August.
The controversy began when a section of West Bengal government employees approached the Calcutta High Court, demanding DA at the same rate as their central government counterparts, along with pending arrears.
In May 2022, the high court ruled in favour of the employees and instructed the state to align its DA with central rates.
However, the West Bengal government challenged the high court’s verdict by filing an appeal in the Supreme Court in November 2022.
Since then, the state has implemented only marginal increases in DA, which have not kept pace with the central government’s rates.
As of April 2025, while central government employees receive 55 per cent DA, their West Bengal counterparts get only 18 per cent — even after a recent 4 per cent hike. PTI SJK MNL RHL
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