Kolkata: An association of the state government employees in West Bengal has sent contempt of court notices to the Chief Secretary, Nandini Goswami and the State Finance Secretary, Prabhat Kumar Mishra for non-action in complying with the Supreme Court’s order earlier this month directing the government 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.
On February 25, 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.
According to Firdous Shamim, the counsel of the Confederation of State Government Employees, the umbrella body that sent the contempt of court notice to the Chief Secretary and the state Finance Secretary, the government is yet to initiate any action to abide with the Supreme Court’s order to pay 25 per cent of the DA arrears between 2008 and 2019 immediately by March 31, 2026.
“So a contempt of court notice has been served to the Chief Secretary and the State Finance Secretary,” Shamim said.
Besides directing the West Bengal government to pay 25 per cent of the DA arrears between 2008 and 2019 immediately by March 31, 2026, the apex court, on February 5, 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. Even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee avoided media queries in the matter stating that she would not speak in a sub judice matter.
However, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly had ridiculed the Chief Minister’s observation and questioned how the matter could continue to be sub judice when the highest judicial authority in the country had given a clear verdict in the matter.
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.
(IANS)
