17 years on, Faridkot court acquits 53 in PMET scam

A court here on Monday acquitted for lack of evidence 53 people accused of involvement in the alleged 2008 Pre-Medical Entrance Test (PMET) scam.

The state-level entrance for admission to all private and government medical colleges in Punjab was conducted by Faridkot’s Baba Farid University of Health Sciences.

The alleged scam involved the hiring of “intelligent” students by aspirants to appear in the entrance on their behalf in exchange for heavy amount.

Of the total 56 accused, two had died during the course of the hearing. One was declared a proclaimed offender, who is yet to face the trial.

Among those acquitted were 16 MBBS aspirants. They hailed from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh.

The court of the Judicial Magistrate (First Class) acquitted them citing “insufficient evidence” to prove their guilt.

The case had come to light when the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police unearthed a network of impostors, including students from premier institutions such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and Patna Medical College.

These students, allegedly paid up to Rs 1 lakh each, were hired to write exams for aspirants.

The SIT investigation revealed that organised gangs were behind the racket, recruiting senior medical students from AIIMS and Patna Medical College, who in turn hired junior “brilliant” students to impersonate candidates.

The level of planning included pre-booked flights to transport the impostors to various examination centres across states.

The SIT had alleged that these gangs had deep connections and operated across states, with the potential to compromise the integrity of medical admissions nationwide.

During the pronouncement of the verdict, the court noted that many of the accused were now practising as medical specialists in private and government hospitals across the country.