Results of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) have been withheld on the orders of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday following petitions filed by students in the light of cases of cheating via Bluetooth devices in examination halls.

The court issued orders to the chief secretary, executive director of the Education Test and Evaluation Agency (ETEA), and the registrar of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to provide responses regarding these allegations.

The court has asked the Education Test and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) to not publish the official results on its website for now as the investigation is underway.

The hearing was chaired by Justice Syed Arshad Ali who passed orders that the online release of the results must be halted till September 21, the date of the next hearing.

The case

Dozens of candidates had been caught cheating in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) MDCAT exams conducted in a number of cities on Sunday.

Over 40 candidates, including 20 female candidates, were arrested in Peshawar while 10 were taken into custody in DI Khan.
All of the detainees were said to be using Bluetooth to cheat in the test. And as reported by Geo, DI Khan police sources claimed that VIP passes were issued to the candidates for which a hefty amount was paid to take the exam through dishonest means.

Students and parents filed complaints to the Human Rights Cell in Peshawar regarding the results and integrity of the system which were then sent to the PHC chief justice.

The applicants asserted that approximately 200 students were caught using Bluetooth devices during the examination.