Medical students move HC for stipend hike

chennai: the madras high court today issued notice to the tamil nadu government on a petition by agitating medical students seeking a hike in their stipends and to forebear the authorities concerned from evicting them from their respective hostels. a division bench comprising justice d murugesan and justice k venkataraman admitted the petition filed by tamil nadu non-service medical and dental post graduates association and compulsory residential rotatory internship(crri) association. claiming that they had been peacefully agitating for the hike since february last, they said on july 1 last deans of medical colleges in the state, under the instructions of the state government, pasted a notice in the hostel notice boards asking the students to vacate their rooms immediately. submitting that those undergoing crri were paid a stipend of rs 4,500 per month, pg students rs 8,000 and for super specialities it was rs 10,000 a month, the associations said in others states pg students were paid rs 25,000 a month while crri's received rs 10,000 per month. at the aiims students were paid rs 45,000 a month, the petitioners contended. the students submitted that it was very difficult to meet day-to-day expenses and prepare for pg examinations.