SC asks West Bengal govt to pay 25% outstanding DA owed to state employees
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to pay 25 percent of the outstanding dearness allowance (DA) owed to state employees within three months.
A division bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Manoj Misra had earlier suggested releasing 50 percent of the pending DA. It however, reconsidered and directed the state to release 25 percent of such dues after senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the state, submitted the government did not have the capacity to disburse such a large amount at once.
The Supreme Court passed the interim order while hearing the West Bengal government's appeal against a May 2022 Calcutta high court judgment.
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The high court had directed the state to clear long pending DA arrears and align payments with central government rates. The state challenged this order in the Supreme Court in November 2022, arguing that it lacked the financial capacity to fully comply. While the government has since announced incremental DA hikes, the increases have fallen short of central rates, with a 37 percent gap still remaining.
A detailed order from the court is awaited.
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