HC decides admission seekers' fate today

The High Court is due to deliver an order today on a writ petition challenging the legality of a government decision to deduct five marks from total marks of examinees taking the MBBS admission test for the second time.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain set the date yesterday. It will pass the order after hearing arguments from the state today.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam will argue in favour of the decision taken by the government, Deputy Attorney General Shashanka Shekhar Sarkar told The Daily Star.

Yesterday, writ petitioner Advocate Eunus Ali Akond placed his arguments saying that the government's decision to deduct five marks is discriminatory and contradictory to the national education policy.

On August 28, he submitted the petition to the HC, saying that the government, reportedly on August 20, has decided to deduct five marks from total marks of the second time MBBS admission seekers -- a move that is discriminatory, illegal and contradictory to the national education policy.

The decision has violated the constitutional provision of equality and equal opportunity of the candidates, Advocate Eunus said in the petition.

As per the constitution, no one is to be subjected to discrimination, but the deduction of the five marks would be discriminatory against the second time admission seekers, he said.

In the petition, he urged the HC to make the health secretary, director general of the directorate of health services, its director (public health), chairman of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council and vice chancellor of Dhaka University respondents to the rule.

Advocate Eunus also prayed for a stay on the HC decision and issuing of a rule asking the respondents to explain as to why the decision should not be declared illegal.