WB govt. Staff hail court order directing State to pay 25% DA arrears

West Bengal Government employees celebrate Supreme Court order for 25% DA arrears payment, challenging State's stance on legality.

Several unions and associations of West Bengal Government employees on Friday (May 16, 2025) hailed the Supreme Court’s order directing the State to pay 25% of pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears to employees.

The West Bengal Government challenged a Calcutta High Court order in May 2022 that directed payment of DA, stating that DA is not a right. The matter is now being heard before the Supreme Court.

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“The Supreme Court order has recognised our demand that DA is a legally enforceable right. We have been protesting for almost 918 days now,” Bhaskar Ghosh, leader of Sangrami Joutho Manch, a collective of State Government employees’ unions, told The Hindu.

Mr. Ghosh said about 12 lakh employees and pensioners will benefit. The State Government Employees’ Association urged the Mamata Banerjee government not to review the order and spend taxpayers’ money. The Sangrami Joutho Manch has held several protests demanding DA at par with Central Government employees.

Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta issued an interim order directing West Bengal to make the payment within three months and posted the matter to be heard next in August. The West Bengal Government pays about 18% of wages as DA whereas Central Government employees receive over 55%.

Senior Advocate and CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said that the State Government’s argument that DA will strain the exchequer does not have a legal basis. Mr. Bhattacharya said that the West Bengal Government has money for “illegal works, including building temples and organising fairs but cannot pay employees of the State Government their salaries.”