KARACHI: Court allows petitioner to take test for admission
By Our Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 31: A division bench of the Sindh High Court has held that a petitioner, who was aggrieved by a considerable delay in recounting of her intermediate marks, be allowed to sit in the forthcoming test for admission to medical college.
The bench comprised Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Zia Pervez.
While disposing of the petition of Farheen, represented by Amir Muslim Hani, the bench also directed the concerned authority to revise rules and take measures for improving the credibility of the examining bodies.
The BISE Hyderabad, its controller of examination, principal and chairman of the Board of Selection Centre, Chandka Medical College Larkana, Liaquat University of Medical Sciences, IBA director and the provincial government have been made respondents.
Justice Ahmed in the order maintained that after matter had been argued at great length, it was found that the inaction on the part of the respondent No 1 in taking three months to decide the petitioner’s application for recounting her marks had caused substantial prejudice.
AAG Suleman Habibullah suggested that it may be just and fair in the special circumstances of this case that the petitioner may be allowed to apply for admission, undertake the forthcoming entrance test and may be considered for admission on merits taking her total marks in Intermediate at 668.
All other counsel agreed that such a course would be just and fair and also according to the spirit of rules because the intended action will be practically the first one wherein the petitioner could be considered for admission on merits.
At the same time, the bench expressed strong disapproval of the manner in which the whole matter has been handled by the respondent No. 1.
Admittedly the petitioner’s application for recounting reached the aforesaid respondent on Oct 19, 2000, and more than three months were taken merely for the purpose of “recounting” marks obtained in one paper. Such gross inefficiency, which could possibly ruin the carrier of young people, must be strongly disapproved.
At the same time, the reasons assigned by the relevant committee for revising the mark-sheet as a result of recount as well as the issuance of a mark-sheet on Jan 18, 2001, containing the earlier total after the recount had taken place, raise serious doubts, he observed.
The court was informed that original transcripts could not be examined as the same had been disposed of by auction under the relevant rules of the board.
“The concerned authority may well be advised to revise rules and take measures for improving the credibility of the examining bodies”, the order said.
