Supreme Court Orders Bengal To Pay 25% Of DA Pending Dues To State Government Employees

The Supreme Court has ordered the West Bengal government to pay 25 per cent of pending dearness allowance (DA) dues to state government employees.

In a setback for the Mamata Banerjee government, a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta issued the order directing the Bengal government to pay the DA within three months and posted the matter to be heard next in August.

"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 - nearly 17 adjournments - to delay proceedings, the Supreme Court has finally delivered a landmark order..." BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya announced in a post on X.

The dispute between the state government and some of its employees began when the latter went to the Calcutta High Court seeking DA parity with central government staff, including arrears.

While the high court in May 2022 ordered the Bengal government to pay DA to state employees at the rate applicable for Centre's employees, the state government challenged this decision in the Supreme Court via an appeal in November 2022.

In the meantime, the Bengal government announced an incremental rise in DA intermittently, but could not match the central rates - a gap of 37 per cent still remained.

The central government pays 55 per cent DA to its employees.

Currently, Bengal government employees get 18 per cent DA after the new 4 per cent is added to the existing 14 per cent as on April 1, 2025, leading to widespread discontent among employees.

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-nearly 17 adjournments-to delay proceedings, the Supreme Court has finally delivered a landmark order. The court has directed the... https://t.co/CbGJJUjTcl

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 16, 2025

"The BJP will ensure that government employees in West Bengal receive what they are owed-and that Mamata Banerjee is held accountable," Mr Malviya said in the post on X.