LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) - The Lahore High Court has issued a written order on a petition challenging the collection of question papers from candidates after the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT).
The court directed the University of Health Sciences (UHS) to upload all MDCAT 2026 question papers conducted in Punjab to its website and keep them publicly accessible until the admission process is completed. The order must be implemented immediately, and candidates must be given an opportunity to raise objections to the question papers.
Justice Syed Ahsan Raza Kazmi issued the written order. The judgment stated that the petitioner had challenged a letter issued by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on September 10, 2026, instructing universities to collect question papers after the MDCAT held on September 20, 2026.
The petitioner also challenged the decision not to make the question papers available on the UHS Lahore website. According to the petitioner's counsel, all question paper codes and paper IDs should be published online, and candidates should be given an appropriate opportunity to seek a review of their answer sheets.
The counsel argued that candidates had been allowed to take question papers home in previous years and could retain them in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and India.
The court noted that UHS's counsel had argued that the petitioner should have approached the relevant authorities before filing the case. The counsel also maintained that the UHS guide permitted candidates to take question papers with them and that the university had not issued any formal notification prohibiting candidates from doing so.
According to the PMDC's counsel, the instructions had been issued to maintain the confidentiality and security of its question bank. However, no explanation was provided regarding the depletion of the question bank, examination security, or any potential harm to the assessment process or prevention of cheating.
The court observed that it had the authority to examine the legality of any unlawful or unconstitutional action taken by a public institution. It said Articles 4 and 25 of the Constitution required public bodies to exercise their powers lawfully and refrain from discriminatory practices.
The judgment stated that the matter affected all candidates who had appeared in the examination and that no reasonable grounds had been provided for collecting the question papers from them. The court clarified that the order would apply only to MDCAT 2026 question papers for examinations conducted in Punjab.