Admission denied: Court seeks reply over policy change

Not only the accused, but the legal community also faces the ire of vigilantes.

RAWALPINDI: Justice Ijaz Ahmed of  Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench on Monday asked the Vice-Chancellor University of Health Sciences, and Chairman Admission Board Government Medical and Dental Institutions to submit their comments on December 22 on a petition filed by a student who was deprived of admission in medical college

Muntaha Ayesha, a resident of Dera Ghazi Khan, through her counsel Tariq Mehmood Khan filed a writ petition in LHC Rawalpindi bench, contending that she passed intermediated examination from Dera Ghazi Khan after securing 964 marks out of 1,100. She applied for admission on reserved seats for DG Khan.

According to the petitioner, her father is a federal government servant and she is entitled to be considered for the reserved seats for civil servants as well.

The counsel told the court that when the petitioner sought admission on reserved seats for under developed district, she was told that the candidates on open merit can avail the seats against the reversed quota.

The lawyer further told the court that the University of Health Sciences unfairly reduced the number of reserved seats for under-developed districts after applications had already been sent out; in the past reserved seats were filled only after open merit  seats in the college had been taken.

He asked the court to take notice of the alleged impropriety by the Chairman Board whereby they have deprived the petitioner of her lawful rights.

The court asked the concerned authority to file their reply.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2010.