State govt staff body serves served contempt of court notice to CS, finance secy on DA payments

An association of the state government employees has sent contempt of court notices to the Chief Secretary, Nandini Goswami and the state finance secretary, Prabhat Kumar Mishra for failing to comply with the Supreme Court’s order, passed earlier this month, directing the state to pay 25 per cent of the Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears between 2008 and 2019 immediately and definitely by the end of the current financial year of 2025-26.

The counsel of the Confederation of State Government Employees, Firdous Shamim, said the state government is yet to initiate any action to abide with the apex court’s directive on 25 per cent DA arrears payment. “So a contempt of court notice has been served to the Chief Secretary and the State Finance Secretary,” Shamim said.

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On 25 February, the apex court’s Division Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra held that West Bengal government employees are entitled to DA as a legally enforceable right under the statutory pay rules and directed the state government to pay arrears for the period between 2008 and 2019.

Besides directing the West Bengal government to pay 25 per cent of the DA arrears between 2008 and 2019 immediately by 31 March, the apex court, on 5 February also directed the constitution of a high-level committee to finalise a binding payment schedule for paying the remaining arrears.

Since then, the state government’s top brass had maintained a stoic silence in the matter, said the umbrella body’s representatives.

Meanwhile, initial calculations have revealed that the apex court’s order in the matter will cost the state exchequer a little over Rs 10,000 crore immediately and Rs 42,000 crore in the long run.