Bengal government moves Supreme Court (SC) high court's earlier decision

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government on Friday informed the Calcutta High Court that it has moved the Supreme Court against the high court's earlier decision directing the state government to pay to dearness allowances (DA) arrears to the state government employees within three months, the deadline for which has already expired. The matter is likely to come up for hearing at the Supreme Court on November 7.

Incidentally, Friday was the deadline for state Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi and Finance Secretary Manoj Pant to file an affidavit in the high court, explaining why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for not honouring its judgement directing the state government to clear DA arrears by August 19.

On May 20, the high court's division bench of Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Rabindranath Samanta had directed the state government to pay the arrears within the next three months. However, after the deadline for the same expired, a contempt of court petition was filed at the same division bench against the state government. On September 22, the bench asked the Chief Secretary and Finance Secretary to file affidavits by November 4 on why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them.

Reacting on the development, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari said that since the beginning, it was clear that the state government is not in a financial position to pay the DA.

"So, they have moved the Supreme Court and I feel that the state government will be defeated there as well as it had in the Calcutta High Court and before that at the State Administrative Tribunal," he said. Till the time the report was filed there was no reaction from the ruling Trinamool Congress on this count.

Already, the Confederation of State Government Employees too filed a caveat in the apex court for making it party in any case filed by the state government. (IANS)

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