KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices on a petition filed by several candidates against the recently held Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) in the province, asking it to declare the exam null and void and order a retake.

A division bench comprising Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito issued notices to Sindh health secretary, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and Federal Investigation Agency for Oct 9.

Mohammad Shabbir Ahmed and 14 other candidates jointly moved the SHC and submitted that the DUHS had organised the MDCAT in the province on Sept 22.

They alleged that multiple papers containing leaked information surfaced on social media a day before the exam and expressed serious apprehensions regarding the integrity, fairness and transparency of the exam process.

They argued that the results circulating on social media revealed that a significant number of students had scored 199, out of 200 marks, in the MDCAT 2024-25 for the very first time.

The petitioners submitted that the administration of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University had also approached the SSP-Larkana for registration of a case against those involved in alleged discrepancies and prevalent cheating during the test.

The varsity had also constituted an internal committee to unearth such discrepancies, they added.

They recalled that the MDCAT held last year was also compromised but it seemed that the respondents had not learned anything from their past mistakes.

They stated that despite a comprehensive probe into the last year paper leak incident, no discernible actions were taken in response to the conclusive report and lack of follow-up measures raised concerns regarding the accountability of those responsible.

Referring to an earlier judgement of the SHC on the same issue, the petitioners asked the court to order MDCAT retake and declare the exam held on Sept 22 as null and void.

They also sought directives to suspend the results of the test in question, to restrain the respondents from initiating the admission process and formation of a joint investigation team to probe the matter.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2024