Big Relief! Supreme Court Tells Mamata Govt to Pay 25% DA to State Workers

Kolkata: In a major relief to West Bengal government employees, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered the state government to pay 25% of the pending Dearness Allowance (DA) within three months.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta passed this interim order while hearing the ongoing case related to DA arrears. The court also said that the matter will be taken up again for hearing in August.

The order comes as a partial win for lakhs of state government employees who have been protesting for years demanding payment of full DA at par with central government staff. Various employee associations have welcomed the court's decision and said this would give some financial relief to workers struggling with rising prices.

The Supreme Court has clearly directed the Mamata Banerjee-led government to release 25% of the total pending DA dues. However, the remaining amount is still under legal review, and a final decision is expected after the next hearing in August.

Meanwhile, employees are hopeful that the court will eventually order the full payment of arrears.