Supreme Court Directs Equal Stipend for Foreign Medical Graduates
Date: February 2026
Compiled By: Doctorials Academy – Healthcare Education Insights
📌 Major Supreme Court Ruling on Internship Stipends
In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court of India has ruled that foreign medical graduates (FMGs) who are Indian citizens and have completed their compulsory medical internships in India must receive internship stipends at the same rate as Indian medical graduates (IMGs).
The ruling came while hearing a petition filed by a group of FMGs who completed their internships at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) between June 2023 and June 2024. These students argued that although their juniors had received equal stipend benefits following an earlier Supreme Court order, they themselves had not been paid equally.
⚖️ Core Findings of the Judgment
📌 Equal Pay for Equal Work:
The Supreme Court bench, presided over by Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B. Varale, held that FMGs performing the same internship duties as Indian medical graduates cannot be paid lower stipends solely because they studied abroad.
📌 No Discrimination Among Peers:
Since the FMGs who completed their internships earlier were in identical positions to their juniors (who received stipend parity via a previous Supreme Court judgment), denying them equal pay would be unjustifiable.
📌 UGC Protection Clarified:
The Court made it clear that medical colleges will not face adverse action from the University Grants Commission (UGC) for releasing stipend payments pursuant to judicial directions—even if such payment lacks prior regulatory approval.
📌 Time-Bound Compliance:
The authorities and institutions concerned were directed to pay the stipend differential within three weeks, ensuring that affected FMGs receive their due compensation without delay.
🎓 Broader Implications for Medical Education
This judgment reinforces the constitutional principle that equal work must receive equal remuneration, regardless of where a medical degree was obtained — provided the intern is an Indian citizen and undergoes the same internship training in India.
This is an important precedent for future cases involving:
- Fair compensation for medical trainees
- Regulatory clarity on stipend entitlements
- Diplomatic parity for Indian students trained abroad
📢 Impact on Foreign Medical Graduates
✔ FMGs completing internships in India are now legally protected from stipend discrimination.
✔ Medical colleges are obligated to provide stipend parity with IMGs.
✔ Past non-payment or reduced payment stipends must be settled within the court-mandated timeline.
This development brings financial justice to medical graduates who serve India’s healthcare system with equal commitment and responsibilities.
Source: “Supreme Court directs medical colleges to pay foreign medical graduates stipend at par with Indian graduates,” Bar & Bench – 3 days ago
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