PESHAWAR: Following the provincial government’s decision to retake the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has decided to dismiss the writ petitions.
The choice was made on Tuesday by a two-judge panel consisting of Justices Arshad Ali and Abdul Shakur, with a full decision to follow.
The MDCAT 2023 exams, which were administered on September 10 in 31 locations across the nation, were marred by claims of “mass cheating,” which led the PHC to issue a stay order blocking the release of test results after being contacted. The provincial cabinet of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa then agreed to hold the MDCAT once more.
Justice Syed Arshad Ali questioned the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) at the hearing on Tuesday as to why it had not launched its own investigation after receiving a letter from the JIT (Joint Investigation Team).
When the PMDC needed to intervene, he attacked them for being reactive rather than proactive.
Attorney General Amir, Attorney Abdul Muneem Khan from Khyber Medical University, Attorney Yasir Khattak from PMDC, and other attorneys were present in court.
The provincial administration opted to conduct the test again with cabinet consent The advocate general informed the court, citing inconsistencies in the test from September 10.
He added that the Khyber Medical University (KMU) and the government had been speaking about this on a regular basis.
The report of the JIT, written by Additional Chief Secretary Home Abid Majeed, according to the advocate general, addressed important issues and offered suggestions for averting similar situations in the future.
He told the court that serious action would be taken against anyone engaged in illegal activity because the Students’ futures were on the line.
KMU has the right to perform tests and has its own set of standards, according to KMU’s attorney, Abdul Muneem, who informed the court of this. He stated that in accordance with PMDC law, PMDC and KMU constantly interact about test-taking.
The PMDC attorney, however, argued that no matter what, the test cannot be taken again.
Yasir Khattak Advocate, who represented the petitioner, claimed that forcing intellectual students who had done well on tests to retake the test would be unjust
He asked the court to clarify the process and guarantee the safety of these accomplished students.
The parents of the pupils, who were present at the court hearing as well, stressed that their children belonged to the lower socioeconomic level and voiced concern over the cancellation of the entire exam.
Instead of cancelling the tests altogether, they recommended that if anyone had earned marks through unethical means, such people should be found and punished appropriately.
Lawyers in attendance at the court emphasised prior instances of exam cheating and argued that punishment should be meted out to the offenders rather than cancelling the exam altogether.
KMU and PMDC were reprimanded by Justice Syed Arshad Ali for their lack of professionalism, and he questioned why they did not act when enquiries were being made.
The test had been approved as valid during a vice-chancellors’ meeting on September 15, according to PMDC’s attorney, and action had been suggested against those responsible.
Considering that PMDC agreed to join the JIT, Justice Arshad Ali questioned why PMDC did not launch its own investigation.
The court quickly dismissed the writ petitions by declaring that the provincial government had decided to administer the MDCAT test again.
