SC orders forensic inquiry into NTS paper leak

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to conduct a forensic inquiry into the allegations of the National Testing Service (NTS) leaking of the question paper of an entry test for admissions to medical colleges and universities.

The top court also dismissed a petition filed by students who had demanded a fresh entry test for admissions in public sector medical colleges and universities, and ordered that admissions continue on the basis of the results of the NTS-conducted test without interruption. The questionnaire for the admissions entry test for both private and public medical institutes was leaked a day before the test day – October 22 – allegedly in connivance with NTS staff. The Sindh government then conducted an inquiry and ordered fresh tests for public medical schools. But in December the Sindh High Court suspended that notification, directing the health department, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and medical institutions to proceed with the processing of admissions to MBBS and BDS programmes on the basis of the already-held NTS test. Following this, petitioner Syed Affanuddin and others had moved the Supreme Court to set aside the SHC’s order barring the Sindh government from conducting a new test. The petitioners’ counsel Shahab Sarki told the court on Friday that the leaking of the paper gave an undue advantage to a handful of unscrupulous persons who were able to get hold of the test paper before the exam and clear it to qualify for admission.

Sarki added that 14 questions were out of syllabus and students were not handed over the question paper to take away with them, which seriously compromised the transparency needed in holding and conducting such an examination. The two-member SC bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam drew the lawyer’s attention towards the SHC’s observation that not enough evidence had been shown that would merit the October 22nd admission test to be set aside and a new one ordered.Sarki submitted that the issue needs to be thoroughly probed stating that this was matter of young people’s future and this may not be the last exam where something like this happens.

The court observed that such concerns of the students were legitimate and are to be addressed to avoid such reoccurrences in the future. However, it turned down the counsel’s request to set aside the SHC ruling against the holding a new test, stating that the admissions process should continue based on the test already held in October.The bench also ordered that a forensic inquiry be held by the FIA to probe the allegations of paper leak from within the NTS and be completed within three months.