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 detailed order from the court is awaited. (File photo)
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.
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The Supreme Court passed the interim order while hearing the West Bengal government’s appeal against a May 2022 Calcutta high court judgment.
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.
Ayesha Arvind is a Senior Assistant Editor specialising in legal and judicial reportage. She covers High Courts and tribunals across southern India, and believes that important legal developments do not only come from New Delhi. Her work focuses on bringing significant decisions and developments from the region to a wider audience and explaining what they mean beyond the courtroom.
She tries to make legal material accessible by translating legal jargon into clear, readable prose and putting pleas, lawsuits, judgments and legal developments in context. She also looks at their political realities and practical consequences for people.
Ayesha is committed to the standards of integrity journalism requires. She places a premium on accuracy and fairness, and believes that journalism's powerful voice must be tempered by humility and a sense of proportion.
Over almost two decades in journalism, she has covered law and order, civil law, crime and other areas of legal affairs. Her work includes breaking news, legal affairs stories, online analysis and commentary.
Ayesha is deeply interested in the law, court judgments and the Constitution because they shape everyday life. She believes every citizen should have a basic understanding of them. What she enjoys most about covering courts is that every story brings something new to learn.
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