Breaking-Punjab DA Case: High Court questions state's stand, adjourns hearing till July 7
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, July 6, 2026: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday questioned the Punjab Government's stand in the long-pending case concerning the release of Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) to Punjab Government employees and pensioners, before adjourning the matter for further hearing on July 7, 2026.
The case was heard by a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor.
During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Deepender Singh Patwalia, appearing on behalf of the Punjab Government, submitted that the State was not bound to follow the Central Government's policy on DA and DR. He argued that Punjab has its own statutory rules governing the payment of Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief to its employees and pensioners.
However, the Bench expressed dissatisfaction with the State's stand.
The Court observed that the Punjab Government had itself issued an administrative order assuring the payment of the pending DA and DR to its employees. When the State contended that the Finance Department had not made any recommendation in this regard, the Bench remarked that the administrative order represented a conscious executive policy decision and could not be disregarded merely because the Finance Department had not recommended it.
The State further argued that Punjab Government employees receive a higher basic pay than their Central Government counterparts, making the payment of pending DA and DR a substantial financial burden on the State exchequer.
The Bench, however, observed that government employees and pensioners cannot be treated differently from other government functionaries, including senior officials and members of the judiciary, who are already receiving Dearness Allowance at the applicable rates.
After hearing the submissions of both sides, the High Court adjourned the matter to July 7, 2026, for further proceedings.