SC Directs AMU to Pay Stipends to Foreign Medical Interns in Two Weeks

In a major ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) to disburse stipends in two weeks to 11 foreign medical graduates doing internships at the university's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College.

A Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Arvind Kumar bench delivered the order after considering the interns' plea, filed by petitioner Zabihullah, that they were being discriminated against under the stipend policy. The interns argued that they were being deprived of their stipends while doing the same work as Indian medical graduates, contrary to the National Medical Commission (NMC) rules.

The court categorically held that "all medical interns of whatever nationality or country of graduation are entitled to stipends" for what work they perform under internship. The justices also ordered AMU to disburse the amount from its own funds within a brief period.

A similar relief was received from the court not to mandate the University Grants Commission (UGC) to take any penal action against AMU for disbursing the stipends without first seeking sanction. AMU, on hearing, said it was in talks with the Centre and the UGC regarding additional funding assistance to foreign medical graduates in future batches of internships.

The case draws attention to the overall issue of reasonable treatment of foreign graduates who want to pursue medical studies in India. Legal professionals believe the judgment will set a precedent for other institutions that have foreign interns.

This action comes in the wake of growing apprehension about compliance with NMC standards and parity of treatment to international nationals in Indian medical schools. Due to the intervention of the court, the centuries-old demand for stipend parity has finally got judicial approval.