SC to AMU: Release FMG Stipends Within 2 Weeks — or Face Consequences!

15th July 2025 (Delhi): The Supreme Court, hearing Diary No. 11929/2025, directed Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) to release pending stipend dues to 11 Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) within two weeks. The matter was heard by a bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar.

The petitioners, represented by Advocate Charu Mathur, are FMGs currently undergoing Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU. They alleged discrimination as Indian Medical Graduates (IMGs) at the same institution are being paid ₹26,300/month, while FMGs have received nothing. (The actual amount received is ₹30,090/month due to increment wef 1st Jan 2022).

The bench ordered that FMGs be paid the same stipend as IMGs—₹26,300/month—bringing AMU in line with other central institutions like BHU, where both groups receive equal stipends.

The petition invoked Clause 3 of Schedule IV of the NMC’s CRMI Regulations, 2021, which mandates uniform stipend payments to all interns unless exempted under specific medical or parental leaves. The FMGs claimed that despite a surplus of ₹83.31 crore under the salary head (OH-36), AMU has failed to disburse funds, citing unnecessary correspondence with the UGC.

“Today, we are truly relieved and grateful for the Supreme Court’s judgment. Over the past several months, we’ve been pushed from pillar to post—meeting officials from AMU, UGC, and UPMC, writing countless letters—yet no action was taken. When every door seemed closed, we finally approached the Supreme Court.” said Dr. Vikas Yadav, FMG intern at JNMC, AMU.

“The UGC had clearly stated that funds were already allocated to AMU, but the university kept denying it. We have worked for nearly 11 months without any stipend, while FMG interns at other institutions like BHU and state colleges were being paid at par with their Indian counterparts. This was a clear injustice,” – He further added

The calculated dues for all 11 FMGs total ₹34.71 lakh for the 12-month internship period. The plea accused AMU of perpetuating bureaucratic inertia, despite UGC’s clear instruction that stipends must be paid from the salary head already granted.

Separately, the same SC bench is also examining similar issues involving non-payment of stipends to FMGs at Mahaveer Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal.

Official order awaited.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TMB Desk and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Medical Bulletin