5 medical colleges involved in irregularities, PHC told
A Peshawar High Court bench was informed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that five private medical colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were involved in irregularities in the recent admission process as they manipulated the 20 per cent interview marks.
The bench of PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Mohammad Nasir Mehfooz was informed in two separate inquiry reports submitted by NAB and FIA that five of the 17 private medical and dental colleges in the province manoeuvred the admission process wherein lower aggregate candidates of MDCAT were pulled into merit by awarding them higher marks in interviews.
The court during previous hearing on April 1 had directed both NAB and FIA to conduct thorough probe into the allegations of monetary demands made by private colleges for admissions in the province. PMC vice-president summoned for not taking action against these colleges
The bench also summoned Pakistan Medical Commission vice-president for explaining why it had only cancelled admissions in private medical colleges involved in irregularities in the recent admissions instead of taking any appropriate action against them.
The bench expressed anguish over the matter when it was informed that the commission had ordered cancellation of the admissions and conducting the same afresh.
The PHC chief justice observed that appropriate action should have been taken against the medical colleges involved in irregularities rather than only cancelling the admissions.
The bench fixed May 6 for next hearing with the direction that the PMC vice president should appear in person.
The court had taken notice of the issue during a previous hearing of a petition challenging clause 18 of Admissions Regulations (Amended) 2020-21 and requesting the court to declare as unconstitutional the fixation of 20 per cent interview marks for admission to private medical colleges.
The petitioners, Laiba Javed and 33 other students, have sought several reliefs from the court related to Admissions Regulations (Amended) 2020-21, which provides for the centralised admission policy for the public and private medical and dental colleges in the country.