Kolkata, Apr 10 (IANS): The Eastern Command of the Indian Army on Monday moved the Calcutta High Court claiming that the joint forum of state government employees agitating against non-payment of dearness allowance (DA) arrears by the West Bengal government has extended its protest programme on defence land beyond the court mandate deadline.

The matter will come up for hearing before a single-judge bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of the Calcutta High Court soon.

Incidentally, the Eastern Command has approached the Calcutta High Court on the very same day when around 500 members of the joint forum started a two-day sit-in demonstration at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

The main contention of the Eastern Command has been that although the court allowed the joint forum to conduct sit-in agitation at the base of Shahid Minar, on a land owned by the Indian Army in the heart of the city, the deadline for the same has already expired. Hence, the Indian Army now wants the agitators to vacate the place.

The DA crisis is deepening every day with the agitators receiving support from all the opposition parties in the state.

While the Calcutta High Court has advised the West Bengal government to arrange a solution meeting with the agitators by April 17, the joint forum has agreed to send a three-member delegation for the meeting.

However, the forum has set three pre-conditions for the meeting -- withdrawal of the state government petition in the Supeme Court challenging the verdict of the high court last year directing the government to clear DA arrears; withdrawal of the show-cause notice issued to some employees for participating in a strike last month; and withdrawal of the order for punitive transfers of certain employees for participating in the strike.