Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 6 : The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) State Secretary, Md Salim has welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court on the West Bengal government to clear a 25% dearness allowance (DA) for state workers, teachers, and police officers. He called it a "rightful entitlement" that the state government, under Mamata Banerjee, had previously challenged in court.
The CPI (M) State Secretary said, "This is a rightful entitlement of the workers, teachers, and police officers. Just 2 days ago, the Kerala government announced the Dearness Allowance. Mamata Banerjee even went to court to argue that the DA is not a right. But the High Court ruled against it. Yet, Mamata Banerjee did not accept the court's decision. Today, after deliberation, the (Supreme) court has determined that a 25% increase is necessary, and the amount must be paid. We welcome this development and believe the court will ensure that workers and others receive their rightful dues this time. On the 12th February, the workers of the country, teachers, farmers, labourers, and others who are at the forefront of the struggle, will also take part in demanding their rights."
In the long-pending dearness allowance (DA) dispute between the West Bengal government and its employees, the Supreme Court on Thursday granted major relief to nearly 20 lakh State government employees by upholding their right to receive DA and directing the State to clear long-pending arrears.
In its judgment, a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra ordered that DA arrears for the period from 2008 to 2019 must be paid to State employees and reiterated its interim order dated May 16, 2025, under which the State was required to release at least 25% of the outstanding amount.
The Court held that payment of DA is a legally enforceable entitlement of employees and clarified that any amount disbursed pursuant to the judgment shall not be recovered even if there is a subsequent change in law. The Court said, "The employees of the Appellant-State shall be entitled to release of arrears in accordance with this judgment for the time 2008-2019,"
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