RAWALPINDI: In a significant legal development for thousands of aspiring medical and dental students, the Lahore High Court's Rawalpindi Bench has declared the practice of taking back Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) question papers from candidates after the examination illegal, ordering the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to make the papers available immediately.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Ahsan Raza Kazmi on October 16, follows petitions filed by students who challenged the regulator's decision to prevent candidates from retaining the question papers they had attempted.
According to reports of the proceedings, the court directed PMDC to upload the examination papers to its official application without delay and ordered compliance on the same day.
The decision addresses a controversy that has followed MDCAT 2026, with students questioning how they could independently verify their results, examine disputed questions or challenge potentially incorrect answer keys without access to the original examination papers.
For candidates competing for admission to medical and dental colleges, even a small difference in marks can influence merit positions and the institutions to which they may gain admission.
Court rules against taking back question papers
Justice Kazmi announced the decision while allowing petitions filed by Rehan Shahid and Anabia Tahir, two students who challenged the practice of collecting question papers from candidates immediately after the examination.
The petitioners contended that students should be allowed to retain the papers they had attempted and that preventing them from doing so was contrary to their legal and constitutional rights.
During the proceedings, the court questioned the justification for allowing candidates to use question papers during the examination but requiring them to surrender those papers once the test had ended.
The bench declared the practice illegal and directed PMDC to make the papers available through its application.
Reports of the ruling indicate that the court also directed immediate implementation, rather than leaving the question of access to a later administrative decision.
The order represents a judicial setback for the regulator's contested paper-collection policy and brings the issue of examination transparency to the forefront of medical and dental admissions.
Students challenge PMDC over examination transparency
Barrister Imran Afrasiab, appearing on behalf of the petitioners, argued that retaining examination question papers was a legal and constitutional right of candidates.
He challenged the regulator's practice as unconstitutional, illegal and unethical, maintaining that students should not be deprived of access to the questions against which their academic performance would ultimately be assessed.
Assistant Attorney General Malik Zaheer Arshad appeared on behalf of the federal government and presented its position during the proceedings.
The case centred on whether PMDC could require examination authorities to retrieve question papers after candidates had completed the test, effectively preventing them from taking the papers away for subsequent review.
For students, the dispute was more than a question of examination procedure. It concerned their ability to compare questions with official answer keys, identify possible discrepancies and raise informed objections.
How the controversy began
The legal challenge followed a policy introduced shortly before the September 20, 2026, MDCAT.
On September 10, PMDC issued a directive instructing universities responsible for conducting the examination to collect question papers from candidates immediately after completion of the test.
The directive prohibited examination authorities from allowing candidates to take the papers away, citing the need for the safe and orderly conduct of the examination.
The arrangement attracted criticism because access to question papers allows candidates to review their examination performance and assess whether official answer keys accurately reflect the questions they attempted.
The controversy also raised questions about the authority of the regulator to introduce such a requirement and whether the policy had received the necessary approval under the statutory framework governing MDCAT.
Dawn reported on September 18 that representatives of medical universities from Punjab and Sindh had sought reconsideration of the directive during discussions with PMDC.
Their requests were reportedly rejected, allowing the paper-collection arrangement to remain in place for the examination.
The concerns were particularly significant in Punjab, where the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, had reportedly allowed candidates to take home their MDCAT question papers since 2017.
The change therefore represented a departure from an established practice and prompted questions about both its legal basis and its implications for candidates.
Questions raised over PMDC's authority
The dispute also brought attention to the division of responsibilities between PMDC, provincial governments and the universities administering the examination.
In its September reporting, Dawn cited concerns raised by health and university officials over Section 17(1) of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Act, 2022.
The provision addresses the conduct of MDCAT by provinces according to policies and standards approved by their respective governments, alongside the statutory role assigned to PMDC.
Officials questioning the September directive argued that the council could not unilaterally alter examination procedures through an administrative instruction without observing the applicable legal requirements.
Those arguments formed part of the wider controversy preceding the litigation.
However, the detailed legal reasoning adopted by Justice Kazmi, including whether the written judgment specifically addresses Section 17(1), will require examination of the court's written order.
The immediate reported outcome is that the court has rejected the collection of completed question papers and directed their publication.
Why access to question papers matters
For students awaiting admission to medical or dental colleges, access to the examination paper is an important element of the result-verification process.
MDCAT performance contributes substantially to the aggregate merit used by admitting universities when preparing selection lists for MBBS and BDS programmes.
Candidates may receive access to their recorded responses or official answer keys, but checking the accuracy of an answer requires knowing the precise question, its wording and the options provided.
Without the original paper, a candidate may struggle to determine whether a question was ambiguous, whether the published answer key contained an error or whether an objection deserves consideration.
This is particularly important in a competitive examination where small differences in scores can affect admission prospects.
The ability to review question papers does not automatically establish that any particular answer key is incorrect. It does, however, provide candidates with information necessary for meaningful scrutiny.
The reported judgment therefore has implications beyond the immediate petitioners, potentially influencing expectations of transparency and accountability in future medical and dental entrance examinations.
Similar challenge before Sindh High Court
The Rawalpindi ruling comes against the backdrop of separate legal proceedings in Sindh concerning access to MDCAT examination material.
On October 2, Sindh High Court had issued notices to PMDC, Sukkur IBA University and other respondents on a petition challenging the retention of MDCAT question papers and the alleged inability of candidates to raise objections to answer keys.
The petitioners, including a student identified as Iqra, argued that candidates needed access to the original examination questions to verify their responses against the official answer key.
The Sindh proceedings also involved concerns about the fairness of the merit determination process.
In that case, petitioners sought relief concerning the disclosure of examination papers and answer keys, with separate requests relating to the admission process.
The existence of challenges in more than one province underscores the broader concern among MDCAT candidates about access to examination information and the procedures available for contesting disputed answers.
Stay informed with Medical News Pakistan
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW Medical News Pakistan on WhatsApp for verified developments concerning MDCAT, PMDC regulations, MBBS and BDS admissions, examination results and important court rulings affecting medical and dental education.