NEW DELHI — The National Medical Commission (NMC) has officially informed the Supreme Court of India that only seven out of 756 undergraduate medical colleges across the country have been found completely non-compliant regarding stipend payments to MBBS interns, junior residents, and senior residents.
The regulatory submission, presented before a two-judge bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Prasanna B. Varale, details the official data following intense judicial scrutiny. While the medical fraternity continues to raise alarms over widespread underpayment and systemic exploitation, the apex regulatory body maintained that penalty proceedings have already been initiated against the defaulting institutions.
The Official Statistics: Compliance vs. Defaulters
According to the comprehensive status chart submitted by the NMC’s counsel, the landscape of stipend compliance spans multiple institutional categories:
- No Dispute Found: The NMC stated that stipend disbursement is entirely undisputed in 573 undergraduate institutions.
- Newly Established Institutes: A total of 176 medical colleges have been set up in the recent past, meaning the question of active stipend cycles is currently inapplicable.
- Closed Operations: One medical college remains shut down and has zero active interns on its rolls.
- Postgraduate Compliance: For higher medical education, the regulator noted that 562 colleges are actively running postgraduate courses and paying stipulated amounts. Only two PG institutes reported having no active trainees.
- The Defaulting Seven: The remaining seven medical colleges—comprising four government-run and three private institutions—were explicitly flagged for non-payment. Show-cause notices have been dispatched to these facilities to levy financial penalties.
Judicial Pushback and the Appointment of Nodal Counsel
This regulatory filing stems from a long-running batch of petitions initiated by medical graduate Abhishek Yadav and others, highlighting severe discrepancies in how young medical professionals are compensated across different states. The apex court had previously chided the NMC for what it deemed a “slumber” or failure to enforce its own circulars, forcing the commission to implement stricter monitoring.
To streamline the convoluted legal battle, the Supreme Court has officially appointed Advocate Charu Mathur as the nodal counsel for the matter. The bench directed all representing advocates to channel their data charts, legal synopses, and pleadings directly through her. This will ensure a consolidated, uniform compilation is ready when the bench reconvenes for final arguments on August 24, 2026.
Disconnect Between Ground Reality and Official Data
The NMC’s submission that only seven colleges are in violation sharply contrasts with widespread independent assessments within the Indian doctor community. Petitioners have argued that nearly 70% of medical colleges either entirely avoid paying stipends to MBBS interns or heavily undercut the state-mandated rates.
Historically, instances like the Army College of Medical Sciences (ACMS) in Delhi—where an entire batch of 100 interns went unpaid—have fueled ongoing unrest. Trainee doctors frequently highlight that while the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) Regulations require equitable treatment, private management forces students to sign blank checks or accept negligible sums under the threat of withholding degrees.
[ Total Undergraduate Medical Colleges: 756 ]
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[ Undisputed: 573 ] [ Newly Established: 176 ] [ Flagged Defaulters: 7 ]
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(Show-Cause Notices Sent)
What this Means for Practicing and Trainee Doctors
For the medical fraternity, this case represents a critical turning point for the enforcement of the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has previously clarified through the Right to Information (RTI) Act that all modifications and oversight regarding internship allowances sit strictly under the statutory framework of the National Medical Commission (NMC).
The current litigation is forcing the regulatory body to establish automated transparency protocols. Medical colleges are now under strict mandates to display exact stipend figures openly on their websites. Failure to maintain this transparency previously led to the NMC proposing a ₹1 crore fine per defaulting college. As the August final hearing approaches, young doctors across India await a centralized structural policy to eradicate state-wise pay disparities permanently.
