SC directs West Bengal government to pay 25% DA to its employees; BJP hails directive

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to pay 25 per cent Dearness Allowance (DA) within three months to its employees. The interim order comes as part of an ongoing legal battle over DA parity with central government employees.A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta passed the directive, posting the matter for further hearing in August.The case stems from a 2022 Calcutta high court ruling that directed the West Bengal government to bring DA payments in line with the central rate. State employees had moved the court seeking parity, citing rising inflation and financial hardship. At present, central government employees receive 55 per cent DA, while West Bengal government employees receive just 18 per cent, even after a recent 4 per cent hike in April 2025.The state government challenged the high court's verdict in the Supreme Court in November 2022. Senior advocate and Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the West Bengal government, reportedly told the court that paying the full arrears would severely strain the state's finances. The Supreme Court had initially suggested the state pay 50 per cent of the dues, but settled on 25 per cent as an interim measure following Singhvi's arguments.Reacting to the court order, BJP leader Amit Malviya hailed it as a "major victory" for government employees. In a post on X, he accused the state government of deliberately stalling the process."After a long legal battle and multiple attempts by the state government--nearly 17 adjournments--to delay proceedings, the Supreme Court has finally delivered a landmark order. The court has directed the West Bengal government to pay at least 25% of the pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears to its employees," Malviya wrote."If only Mamata Banerjee and her close aides had not looted the exchequer with brazen impunity, there would have been money to pay the state government employees," he added. He further alleged that the state had not only failed to honour the high court's 2022 order but had also failed to create sufficient employment opportunities in the state.Also read: 45-year-old man from West Bengal dies on Mount Everest