Seven acquitted in fake MBBS admissions case

An accountability court on Monday acquitted seven persons in a 20-year-old reference pertaining to fake admissions to the Sindh Medical College after the prosecution failed to prove charges on them.

The National Accountability Bureau had booked a former controller of examination of Karachi University, Intisarul Haq, former programme coordinator Abdul Hadi Siddiqui, former administrative assistant Alauddin, then vice principal Prof Syed Naseeruddin along with some other employees over their alleged involvement in 38 fake admissions in the SMC in 2001-2002.

Accountability Court-IV judge Suresh Kumar pronounced his verdict which he had reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides. He said that the prosecution failed to establish the allegations against the defendants; therefore, the court acquitted them by extending the benefit of the doubt to them.

Special public prosecutor Dr Raja Muhammad Ali said that an inquiry was initiated on a complaint made by then Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ebad in 2014. He further submitted that an investigation had revealed that as many as 38 students who were not eligible were allegedly given admissions in the MBBS programmme by the suspects during 2001 and 2002.

He said that some 10 nominated suspects, including former principal Akbar Haider Soomro, were allegedly involved in the fake admissions. The prosecution further alleged that the suspects used to issue fake ID cards, admit cards and enrolment cards and received Rs19 million as illegal gratification.

The prosecutor argued that there was sufficient evidence available on record to connect the role of the suspects with the commissioning of the offence, and pleaded with the court to punish them strictly in accordance with the law.

He informed the court that three suspects – Bashir Memon, Intisarul Haq and Jameed Asghar – had passed away during the pendency of the proceedings. On the other hand, the defence counsel denied the allegations and claimed innocence on the part of their clients. He said that there was no evidence to prove the allegations falsely labelled against their clients, and pleaded with the court to acquit them of the charges.