PESHAWAR, Nov 24: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday put on notice 23 student petitioners in an application filed by the joint admissions committee of public sector medical colleges requesting the court to vacate the stay order against the admissions process.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Shahjehan Khan Yousafzai and Justice Saleem Khan observed that the stay, granted by the high court on Nov 18, could not be withdrawn without hearing the other party (petitioners).

The high court had stayed the admissions process while hearing a writ petition filed by 23 students challenging the entrance test conducted by the Education Testing and Evaluation Authority (ETEA).

The chairman of the joint admissions committee of the public sector medical colleges, Dr Umer Ali Khan, had filed an application requesting that the earlier stay order be withdrawn as 488 students had already been admitted to the four public sector medical colleges on open merit and their classes were about to commence.

Advocate Waseemuddin Khattak appeared for the applicant (Dr Umer Ali) and pointed out that admissions on open merit seats had already been completed and roll numbers had been assigned to students.

Mr Khattak stated that classes had to start on Dec 1, but in the presence of the stay order it would be difficult for them to begin classes. He requested the court to reconsider its earlier order. He said that after the said stay order the admissions committee had postponed interviews for seats reserved for backward areas.

The petitioners alleged that the entrance test paper hadn’t been checked properly as correct answers had been adjudged wrong and wrong answers had been marked correct.