Supreme Court Orders Bengal Govt to Pay 25% of Pending DA Arrears to State Employees

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to pay 25 per cent of the pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears owed to state government employees. The order mandates that the payment be completed within three months.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta passed the interim directive, while scheduling the next hearing for August.

The origins of the dispute lie in a petition filed by several state government employees in the Calcutta High Court, demanding that their dearness allowance (DA) be brought in line with that of central government staff. They also sought the payment of outstanding arrears as part of their claim for parity.

In May 2022, the High Court ruled in favour of the employees, ordering the West Bengal government to align DA rates with those provided by the Centre. However, the state government contested this decision and took the matter to the Supreme Court, lodging an appeal in November 2022 in an attempt to overturn the verdict.

Reacting to the Supreme Court's order, BJP leader Amit Malviya said, "This is a major victory for West Bengal government employees and BJP Bengal. After a long legal battle and multiple attempts by the state government to delay proceedings, the Supreme Court has finally delivered a landmark order."

"The BJP will ensure that government employees in West Bengal receive what they are owed—and that Mamata Banerjee is held accountable," he added.

Dearness allowance is a cost-of-living adjustment provided to government employees and pensioners, designed to cushion the impact of inflation. Calculated as a percentage of the basic salary or pension, it is revised periodically to reflect changing economic conditions. Currently, the 18 per cent DA applies to over 10 lakh state government employees and pensioners in West Bengal.​