LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday sought report on an inquiry ordered by the provincial government into alleged leaking of Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) paper for 2017 admissions.

Justice Shahid Waheed was hearing petitions filed by the students who appeared in the MDCAT conducted by the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Aug 20 for admission in MBBS. The judge had already restrained the UHS from announcing the result of the test.

During the Monday’s hearing, counsel for the UHS said the allegation regarding leaking of the question paper had not been proved. He said the social media’s posts relied upon by the petitioners happened to be uploaded after holding of the test.

A provincial law officer told the court that an inquiry committee formed by the government also found no merits in the allegations of the paper’s leak. When asked about the inquiry report, he said it had been submitted to the chief minister.

At this, the judge adjourned the hearing till Sept 25 and directed the law officer to present the report [on the inquiry].

The petitioners had argued that the question paper of the MDACT for 2017 was already leaked on social media by a teacher at private college/academy in connivance with the authorities at UHS.

They said the teacher who leaked the paper also confessed, on his Facebook account, to selling the paper to a number of students for Rs50,000 each. They said career of a large number of students had been at stake.

The petitioners said thousands of other students would suffer an irreparable loss if the leaked paper was not declared void and the UHS was not ordered to hold the MDCAT exam afresh.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2017