Breaking: Punjab Govt’s DA SLP faces 10 registry defects in Supreme Court; Hearing could take longer; Watch Video
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, September 4, 2026: The Punjab government’s Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed in the Supreme Court in the Dearness Allowance (DA) case involving government employees has not yet been listed for hearing, with the Supreme Court Registry flagging 10 defects in the petition.
According to the case entry available on the Supreme Court website, the SLP was filed by the Punjab government on September 1, 2026, under Diary No. 53830/2026. Its current status states: “Case is under defect list, valid for 90 days.”
The defects are related to procedural and filing requirements and do not amount to any finding on the merits of the DA case. The petition will have to be corrected and the required documents and details submitted before the matter can proceed further.
10 defects flagged by the Supreme Court Registry
The Registry has raised the following objections:
- Shortfall in court fee: The petition has a ₹520 shortfall in court fee, which has to be deposited.
- File to be divided into two volumes: Since the case record is voluminous, the Registry has directed that the file be divided into two volumes, with each volume not exceeding 500 pages. Separate indexes and a properly prepared master index are also required.
- Listing proforma: A specific entry in Column 4 of the listing proforma has to be completed.
- Clarification on what is being challenged: The petition must clearly specify the orders or connected matters being challenged. If any matter has not been challenged, it should be removed from the petition title.
- August 3 High Court order missing: The petition refers to a High Court order dated August 3 in paragraph 8/A, but a copy of the order has not been attached. The Registry has asked for it to be filed.
- High Court case number missing: The High Court case number has not been mentioned in the Memo of Parties on page 1316 and needs to be added.
- Original typed copies required: The Registry has sought original typed copies relating to pages 2–13 and 15–17 of the petition.
- Mismatch in Vakalatnama details: The short cause title and petitioner-related details in the Vakalatnama do not match and need to be corrected.
- Index of Filing to be corrected: The Index of Filing has to be prepared separately, with the entries relating to SLP pages 1 and 2 correctly incorporated and existing entries amended where required.
- No need to re-file the entire SLP: The Registry has specifically directed that the entire SLP should not be filed again. Only the pages or documents containing defects need to be re-filed after correction.
Could the defects delay the DA case?
The defects mean that the SLP has not yet reached the stage of being listed for hearing. The Punjab government’s legal team will first have to comply with the Registry’s objections.
However, the defects should not be interpreted as a decision against the Punjab government on the merits of the DA dispute. They are filing and procedural objections raised during Registry scrutiny.
The status mentioning 90 days also does not necessarily mean that the SLP will only be listed after 90 days. If the defects are removed earlier and the required documents are filed, the petition can move to the next stage sooner.
At this point, therefore, it would be premature to conclude that the Punjab government is deliberately delaying the matter. A delay in processing due to defects and an intentional delay are two different issues.
What does this mean for Punjab employees and pensioners?
The DA case is significant for Punjab government employees and pensioners, who were expecting the government’s move to the Supreme Court to pave the way for further proceedings.
For now, however, the immediate task before the government’s legal team is to remove all 10 defects raised by the Registry. The next key development will be whether these objections are resolved quickly and when the SLP is subsequently listed before the Supreme Court.
Thus, while the Punjab government has filed its SLP, the petition is currently held up at the Registry stage because of filing-related defects and has not yet reached the hearing stage.