Chandigarh, April 8 The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab administration to clear the pending Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners by June 30.
Justice Harpreet Singh Brar was hearing a series of petitions regarding the delay in the release of DA for employees and pensioners.
Advocate Rashpinder Singh, representing the employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, said that the court, in its interim order, directed the Punjab government to clear the pending DA for all employees and pensioners, rejecting the government's submission regarding its strained financial situation.
Speaking to reporters here, Singh further stated that the state government has been asked to clear the DA by June 30, and compliance should be given. The next hearing date in the matter is July 2.
The counsel for the petitioners submitted that DA installments, effective from July 1, 2023, have not been released to serving employees and pensioners.
On the other hand, the petitioners argued that a differential treatment was being accorded to serving All India Service officers (IAS/IPS/IFS) and judicial officers within Punjab.
These officers were receiving DA regularly from the actual due dates of the respective installments, following the pattern applicable to central government employees, while the petitioners, along with other serving employees and pensioners, were being subjected to "hostile discrimination," they further stated.
The petitioners argued that the DA for government employees is revised twice a year by the central government, on January 1 and July 1, based on the All India Consumer Price Index.
Historically, from the recommendations of the first Pay Commission, the state government has been paying the Dearness Allowance to its employees at rates and patterns similar to those of central government employees, periodically.
The successive pay commissions of the Punjab government have consistently followed this policy, they stated, adding that the recommendations of the 5th Punjab Pay Commission were duly adopted by the state of Punjab.
Subsequently, the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission to grant Dearness Allowance on the pattern of central government employees were approved by the Council of Ministers on June 17, 2021.
It was also submitted that five installments of DA have been paid to eligible employees. The fifth installment, which fell due on January 1, 2023, was paid on November 1, 2024.