Supreme Court directs West Bengal to disburse 25% DA dues to state employees

In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has directed the West Bengal government to disburse 25% of the pending dearness allowance (DA) dues to state employees. This move is being seen as a setback for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's administration.

The order was issued by a bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta, who mandated that the payment be made within a three-month period. The court has scheduled the next hearing for August.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is a major victory for West Bengal government employees and BJP Bengal.<br><br>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… <a href="https://t.co/CbGJJUjTcl">https://t.co/CbGJJUjTcl</a></p>&mdash; Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) <a href="https://twitter.com/amitmalviya/status/1923276820335542472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In response, BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya described the ruling as a "major victory" for West Bengal government employees, as well as for BJP Bengal. Malviya noted that, following a prolonged legal battle and numerous attempts – 17 adjournments, to be precise – by the state government to delay the process, the Supreme Court delivered what he termed a landmark decision.

The issue began when a group of West Bengal government employees approached the Calcutta High Court, demanding parity in DA with their central government counterparts, including arrears. In May 2022, the high court ruled in favor of the employees, instructing the state to match the DA rates applicable to central employees. However, the state government appealed this decision in the Supreme Court in November 2022.

Despite intermittent announcements of DA increments by the Bengal government, a significant gap of 37% remains as they fall short of central rates. Currently, central government employees receive 55% DA, whereas Bengal government employees receive only 18%, even after a recent 4% increase added to the prior 14%, effective April 1, 2025. This disparity has led to widespread dissatisfaction among state employees.

Amit Malviya emphasized the BJP's commitment to ensuring that West Bengal government employees receive their due entitlements while holding the Mamata Banerjee government accountable.