SC asks medical colleges to furnish merit and admissions lists

Supreme Court has asked private medical colleges of the country, particularly those imparting education in Punjab, to submit a list pertaining to number of admission applications of students, merit lists and number of admitted students within a week. Announcing its judgment in a suo motu notice taken over exorbitant fee structure of private medical colleges in the country, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar also formed a committee to inspect Lahore Medical and Dental College, Jallo Park, Lahore.
The committee was formed after counsel for Pakistan Association of Medical Institutions Syed Ali Zafar volunteered for random inspection of the college. Members of the committee comprising Attorney General for Pakistan, Advocate Ayesha Hamid, Dr Faisal Masood, Dr Javed Gardezi, Dr Waseem Hashmi, Registrar of Pakistan Medical & Dental Council and Secretary of Young Doctors Association Dr Salman.
The court also said in its order that private medical colleges failed to response to University of Health Sciences Lahore over 22 applications of students' parents for taking action over the issue of exorbitant fee, adding the court directed all the private medical colleges to submit reply in the matter in next three days. "Otherwise, their chief executives should be required to personally appear before this court to explain their position for non-compliance with the order," stated the court order.
Besides, the court said in its order that it has already prohibited the admission in any private medical college which is not yet affiliated. However, the court made it clear that any admission made in any college which is affiliated after the date when apex court first took cognizance of the matter in hand, shall be subject to final decision of the apex court.
Meanwhile, the bench also decided an application of Director General Lahore Development Authority Zahid Akhtar that the Authority cannot take action unlawfully and unauthorized constructed marriage/function halls as owners of such halls procured stay orders form different courts. Giving approval to the LDA, the bench asked the LDA to issue notices to unauthorized marriage/ function halls under the court's instruction.
"If any of the aggrieved persons to whom notice shall be issued approaches any court of law in Pakistan, such court while passing any order particularly granting interim relief shall keep in mind the nature of the present proceedings," the court said in its order.