In a much-anticipated judgment, the Supreme Court of India directed that foreign medical graduates (FMGs) who completed their compulsory internships at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) between June 2023 and June 2024 must receive stipend payments on par with Indian medical graduates (IMGs). This decision comes after FMGs were historically paid nothing while IMGs received around INR 26,300 per month for the same work.
Why This Matters
FMGs are Indian citizens who earned their medical degrees abroad and then returned to India to complete the required one-year internship before practicing. They perform identical clinical duties as their Indian-trained peers, yet they were denied stipends. The Court held that equal work cannot be compensated unequally, particularly when stipend parity has already been granted to junior FMGs in an earlier judgment.
Shield for Colleges & Clarity on Regulations
The Court also clarified that medical institutions will not face punitive action from the University Grants Commission (UGC) for paying stipends under judicial directions, removing a key administrative obstacle cited by authorities.
Timeline for Implementation
The top court ordered that the difference in stipend owed to these FMGs must be paid within three weeks. This deadline is aimed at delivering swift relief to the affected doctors.
A Win for Fairness
SC’s decision finally resolves the stipend-parity dispute for FMGs who finished their internships prior to the July 2025 ruling. It is set to help hundreds of foreign-trained Indian doctors who have repeatedly highlighted unequal treatment during their compulsory medical training.
