The High Court has cleared the obstacle to holding the MBBS admission tests on the scheduled date on April 2 as the court rejected a writ petition which was filed to defer the admission test date.
The High Court (HC) bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Mahmud Hasan on Wednesday (March 24) rejected the writ petition.
Supreme Court lawyer Muntasir Mahmud Rahman moved for the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar took part in the hearing on behalf of the State.
Bipul Bagmar said that the HC bench rejected the petition. So, there is no bar to hold the medical admission tests on the scheduled dates.
AKM Ahsan Habib, director (medical education) of the Directorate General of Health Services, said that the admission test will be taken maintaining health rules.
Earlier, a man named Md Taymur Khan Bappi filed the writ petition with the High Court seeking its directive on the authorities concerned to defer the date of MBBS admission tests scheduled to be held on April 2 due to the prevailing Covid-19 infections.
In the petition, he sought a rule of the higher court asking the authorities to show cause as to why the decision taken by the Directorate General of Medical Education for holding the MBBS examination on April 2 amidst the rise of Covid-19 infections, risking the lives of students and parents, should not be declared illegal, said Muntasir Mahmud Rahman.
The lawyer also said that they filed the writ petition citing another reason-- if the medical admission test is taken ahead of those of other universities, it will also create a huge gap and vacuum in the subjects since many students migrate to other preferred subjects.
The medical and dental college admission tests usually take place between October and November every year after the HSC result is published. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s HSC and equivalent exams were cancelled and the authorities evaluated the 2020 HSC candidates based on their JSC/JDC and SSC results and published the coordinated results on January 30.
So, the authorities concerned announced to hold the admission tests for MBBS course in the country’s government and private medical colleges for the academic year 2020-21 on April 2. However, the admission test for BDS courses of dental colleges and units will be held on April 30.
The number of seats in 47 government medical colleges is 4,350, while 8,340 students will get admitted in 70 private medical colleges. This year, a total of 1, 22, 874 candidates are scheduled to take part in the medical tests.
