New Delhi: In what has become a long and frustrating legal saga, the hearing of the Dearness Allowance (DA) case involving West Bengal government employees was postponed once again by the Supreme Court on Wednesday—this marks the 18th delay since the case first reached the apex court.
The last hearing took place on December 1, 2024. This time, the case was scheduled for 2 PM on May 15 before the Division Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Manoj Misra in Courtroom 15, as per the official cause list. However, since the case appeared toward the end of the day’s schedule, it couldn’t be heard due to time constraints.
Friday Hearing Likely, Legal Team Optimistic About Final Verdict
Senior Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, representing the employees, stated:
“The DA case was scheduled for 2 PM today. Despite our presence in court, the hearing could not take place due to some scheduling issues.”
He added:
“We requested a new date, and the court has scheduled the hearing for this Friday. We’ve been assured this will be the final date—there will be no further postponements.”
Background of the DA Case: A Legal Battle Since 2022
On May 20, 2022, the Calcutta High Court ordered the West Bengal Government to pay pending dearness allowance to its employees within three months.
The state government challenged the order by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court.
Despite losing a review petition, the state has not settled dues.
In the meantime, three government employee unions filed contempt of court petitions.
Since November 2022, the Supreme Court has been hearing the case without a final resolution, causing increasing distress among government employees.
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