LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday reserved verdict on the maintainability of the petitions challenging the results of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) for year 2020 and for rechecking of papers.

Several candidates, who are the petitioners, pleaded through their counsel that queries in the entrance test were out of syllabus and a large number of students failed to pass it.

The counsel said the Pakistan Medical Commission had promised grace marks to the students in case of out-of-syllabus paper, but it failed to fulfill its commitment. He also questioned legitimacy of several provisions of the PMC Act 2020. He said the provisions contradicted the fundamental rights protected in the Constitution.

The counsel asked the court to suspend the admission process and order rechecking of the papers.

Justice Ayesha A Malik observed that the petitioners apparently approached the court with a delay and did not avail the first remedy under the law also. She noted that the regulations of the MDCAT did not provide for the rechecking option.

The judge reserved the verdict on the maintainability of the petitions.

Meanwhile, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed of the LHC recused itself from intra-court appeals relating to the MDCAT quota. It sent the petitions back to the chief justice with a request to fix the same before any other appropriate bench.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2020