KARACHI, March 3: A Sindh High Court division bench advanced on Monday the hearing of the Sindh Medical College (SMC) students’ case to Tuesday following a fresh application moved by them for permission to appear in the ongoing fourth year MBBS examination in view of “a new development.”

The application, Advocate Raja Qureshi submitted before a division bench, comprising Justice S. Ahmed Sarwana and Justice M. Mujibullah Siddiqui, was based on correspondence between the SMC principal and academic council and advocate-general. The SMC letter of March 1 , according to the lawyer, informed the AG that the corrupt elements responsible for admission irregularities had been identified and they had been suspended from service. The students were, thus, not to blame for any fraud and about 32 of them, who had already appeared in two papers of the MBBS exam under an interim order of another division bench, should be allowed to take the rest of the exam.

Justice Sarwana observed that there was no court order barring the students from taking the exam or restraining the authorities from letting them to do so. It was for the authorities to decide the issue. As a matter of caution, however, he said the petition moved by the students would be heard on March 4 instead of March 6 as scheduled earlier on Feb 27. The bench, accordingly, directed that notices be issued to the AG and the respondent college authorities for Tuesday.

The students have challenged the cancellation of their admissions to the college for having obtained them by fraudulent means and sought a court order directing the authorities to allow them to appear in the exam pending their petition.