Overview
- The court held dearness allowance to be a legally enforceable part of pay under West Bengal’s ROPA rules linked to the AICPI and ordered release of arrears for 2008–2019.
- The state must release 25% of outstanding dues immediately, the panel’s calculations are due by March 6, and the first instalment of the remaining amount is due by March 31, with a compliance report on April 15.
- The monitoring committee is chaired by former Justice Indu Malhotra, joined by two retired High Court judges and the CAG or a nominee, to determine totals and oversee phased payments.
- On the same day, Bengal announced a 4% rise in current allowance in its interim budget and set up a five-member internal committee led by the chief secretary to review the ruling.
- Preliminary estimates indicate a fiscal hit of a little over Rs 10,000 crore immediately and roughly Rs 41,000–42,000 crore overall; retirees are included and disbursed sums cannot be recovered later.