New Delhi, May 17 -- The Supreme Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to pay 25% of the outstanding dearness allowance (DA) dues to its employees within three months. The interim order came amid a long-standing dispute over DA parity in the eastern state with central government employees. A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta issued the interim order while hearing the Trinamool Congress government's appeal against a May 2022 Calcutta high court verdict that had directed the state to clear long-pending DA arrears. The court posted the matter for August. A detailed order is awaited. Earlier, the Supreme Court had suggested release of 50% of the pending DA dues. It, however, reconsidered and directed the state to release 25% of such dues after senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Bengal, submitted the state did not have the capacity to disburse such a large amount at once. In the May 2022 order, the Calcutta high court directed the state to clear long-pending DA arrears and align payments with central rates. The state challenged this order in the Supreme Court in 2022, citing financial capacity. While the state has since announced marginal hikes in DA, they have fallen short of central government rates. htc...