SHC issues notice on students’ plea to retake MDCAT 2024 exam

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to several respondents in a petition filed to retake the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) in Sindh.

SHC summoned the Sindh health secretary, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC), Dow University of Health Sciences, and the Federal Investigation Agency, in a plea filed by 15 candidates against recently-held MDCAT.

The petitioners, led by Mohammad Shabbir Ahmed, are seeking a court to declare the exam null and void and order a retake due to allegations of leaked information and cheating.

The petitioners claim that multiple papers containing leaked information surfaced on social media a day before the exam, which was held on September 22, and that the results circulating on social media showed an unusually high number of students scoring 199 out of 200 marks.

In addition, they argue that this raises serious concerns about the integrity, fairness, and transparency of the exam process.

The petitioners also point out that last year’s MDCAT was compromised, but no discernible actions were taken in response to the conclusive report, and that the respondents have not learned from their past mistakes.

They request the court to suspend the results of the test, restrain the respondents from initiating the admission process, and form a joint investigation team to probe the matter.

A division bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito has issued notices to the respondents for October 9.

The Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University has also approached the SSP-Larkana to register a case against those involved in alleged discrepancies and cheating during the test and has constituted an internal committee to investigate the matter.