DA Case Update: Although the final hearing of the Dearness Allowance (DA) case for West Bengal government employees has concluded, the Supreme Court has not yet announced the final verdict. The final hearing was held in the country’s apex court on September 8, 2025. After the hearing, the court reserved its judgment. In this situation, speculation has begun anew about the future of the contempt of court cases filed by state government employee organizations.
Latest Status of the Main Case
According to the Supreme Court’s directive, the state government has been given two weeks to submit its written arguments following the final hearing. On the other hand, the employee organizations, the petitioners, have been given one week to submit their written submissions. The court will pronounce the final verdict only after receiving the written statements from both parties. Currently, the status of the case on the Supreme Court’s official website is shown as “Heard and Reserved,” which means the judgment has been reserved after the hearing.
Contempt of Court Cases Remain Pending
During the DA case proceedings, three major employee organizations—the Unity Forum, the Confederation of State Government Employees, and the Sarkari Karmachari Parishad—had filed contempt of court petitions against the state government. Their allegation was that the state government disobeyed the court’s order by not paying the DA arrears within the timeframe stipulated by the Calcutta High Court. It is now visible on the Supreme Court’s website that the status of these three contempt petitions is still “Pending.” This makes it clear that although the hearing for the main DA case has concluded, the hearings for the contempt of court cases are still pending. According to legal experts, the hearings for these pending cases may begin after the verdict of the main case is delivered.
Employees’ Hopes and Wait
State government employees have been protesting for a long time, demanding DA at the central government rate. Although the Calcutta High Court ruled in their favor, the state government challenged that verdict in the Supreme Court. Now, millions of employees are looking towards the apex court’s decision. While there is hope of receiving the DA arrears, they also believe that the resolution of the contempt cases will increase pressure on the state. All in all, the state’s government employees are counting the days in anticipation of the final verdict.
