Employees are entitled to full dress and washing allowance for the entire duration of their eligibility.

The 109 applicants, alongside Respondent No. 15, were employees of the Military Engineering Services (MES) serving in various capacities including Fitter, Carpenter, and Electrician

They claimed entitlement to a dress allowance (incorporating uniform and washing allowances) effective from July 2017, based on a Government of India Office Memorandum (OM) dated August 31, 2017 [Annexure A1, p. 24].

The applicants approached the Tribunal contending that the allowances were either not disbursed or only partially paid for the period leading up to their respective dates of superannuation

The respondents filed a reply statement admitting the applicants' entitlement but stated that only partial payments were made to 67 employees for specific periods as detailed in Annexures R-1 and R-2

1. Whether the applicants are entitled to the full disbursement of uniform/washing allowance from July 2017 until their respective dates of retirement

2. Whether the partial payment or non-payment of the said allowances by the respondents is legally sustainable in light of existing precedents

Government of India, Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions Office Memorandum No. F. 14/4/2015-JCA2 dated 31/08/2017, which instituted the dress allowance for specified categories of employees

The court further adhered to the principle of stare decisis by following its own prior rulings in OA No. 211/2025 and OA No. 634/2024 (Annexure A2), which granted identical relief to similarly situated employees

The Tribunal found that the core legal entitlement of the applicants to the uniform and washing allowances was not in dispute, as the respondents explicitly admitted this right in their reply statement

The court observed that while some applicants were covered under Annexures R-1 and R-2, their payments were restricted to specific periods and did not cover the full duration of their service from July 2017 to retirement

Other applicants had received no payment at all

Linking these facts to the precedent in Annexure A2, the Tribunal determined that the respondents lacked a valid legal basis to withhold the full arrears, as the administrative entitlement had already been established and confirmed by previous judicial orders

The court directed the respondents to pay the due allowances as expeditiously as possible, stipulating a maximum timeframe of three months from the date of receipt of a copy of the order

No costs were awarded