Pay stipend arrears to 2022 MBBS batch, Army medical college told

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Delhi-based Army College of Medical Sciences (ACMS) to pay arrears of Rs 25,000 per month to MBBS interns from the 2022 batch, saying they deserved it as a “matter of right”.

A Bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar passed the order while hearing a petition filed by medical graduate Abhishek Yadav and others through lawyer Tanvi Dubey.

The top court observed that despite a September 2023 order mandating a stipend of Rs. 25,000 per month for interns starting October 2023, the previous batch had been left uncompensated.

At the outset, Justice Dhulia questioned senior advocate R Balasubramanian, appearing for ACMS, as to why the 2022 interns had not been paid, even after nearly three years.”Why will you pay a stipend? They deserve it as a matter of right,” the judge said.

Justice Kumar also strongly criticized the stand of the ACMS and said, “You make them work for 18 hours, 19 hours, and you don’t want to pay them a stipend?”