VC directed to consider 27 applicants for admission

Petitioners were unable to enter online ‘improved marks’ from special exam

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court has directed the vice chancellor of the University of Health Sciences to consider 27 applicants with ‘improved marks’ while preparing the merit list for admission to MBBS and BDS for the 2021-22 session.

The order was issued in a detailed judgment issued by Justice Shahid Jamil Khanon a plea filed by the petitioners over denial of their request of including improved marks obtained by them in a special examination while preparing final merit list.

The petitioners had filed online applications on the basis of the original result of Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC). Later, the online system was not allowing the petitioners to substitute their original grades with the improved marks, for which the cutoff date was February 6.

The court was apprised that the applications for admission were to be filed online by November 22, but the applicants who intended to improve their marks were asked to register their intention by selecting the category ‘delayed result candidates’. As many as 1,294 applicants selected this category and were allowed to submit their improved marks by February 6. But 27 applicants failed to select the category of ‘delayed result candidates’ and, therefore, were unable to submit their improved marks through the online system.

The petitioners’ counsel argued that they had not selected the category due to confusion created by a clarification issued on November 13 by Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC).

“This policy only applies to students who sat their HSSC examination in October-November 2021 for the first time and not as a repeat student to improve their marks or to pass earlier failed exams in the same academic year.”

However, it was followed by a letter issued on November 18, while the petitioners had applied before its issuance without selecting the category.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2022.