CA’s May examination cancelled, to be merged with Nov cycle: ICAI tells SC
New Delhi, July 13
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) Monday informed the Supreme Court that the May cycle of CA examination, scheduled between July 29 and August 16, has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The counsel appearing for the ICAI told a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar that now the May cycle examination would be merged with the November 2020 cycle of the CA exam.
The Apex Court was hearing through video-conferencing a plea which had challenged the ‘opt-out’ option provided by the ICAI alleging that it “arbitrarily” discriminated between the aspirants in May cycle of CA examination.
The plea had also sought more exam centres across the country.
The bench, after hearing the submissions advanced by ICAI’s counsel, disposed of the matter.
Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, appearing for the petitioner, pointed out to certain aspects related to the CA examinations.
The top court told the advocate to make a representation before the ICAI in this regard.
On June 29, the Apex Court had said that the ICAI should be flexible in conducting exams amid the pandemic and take care of concern of candidates.
It had suggested that the option for change in examination centre should be made available to the aspirants till the last week before the scheduled exams.
It had observed that the situation was not static and continuously changing and the ICAI should be flexible on the issues of ‘opt-out’ and change of examination centre.
The ICAI’s counsel had earlier told the court that out of around 3,46,000 registered aspirants, nearly 53,000 have taken the ‘opt-out’ option.
The plea filed in the Apex Court had alleged that the ICAI had made an important announcement on June 15 by which it “arbitrarily decided to discriminate” between the aspirants by providing an option of ‘opt-out’.
The ICAI’s counsel had told the court that it has ensured that no prejudice is caused to anybody by a notification issued regarding the examination.
The petitioner, president of the India Wide Parents Association, had claimed in the plea that the ICAI had stated that students, who had already submitted the online examination application for May examination cycle, would be allowed to ‘opt-out’ and carry forward their candidature to November 2020 examination cycle.
“It is respectfully submitted that Respondent No.1 ICAI has notified that for the students who choose the opt-out option, this attempt (May 2020) will be treated as cancelled/not counted. Thus, such student will be deprived of the May 2020, attempt, as compared to another group of students, who choose the opt-in option,” the plea had said, while seeking quashing of the announcement made in this regard on June 15.
“The said ‘opt-out’ option discriminates between those underprivileged group of CA students/ aspirants, who are living in remote areas of the country or living in the containment zones and thus are slated to lose one precious ‘examination attempt’ by choosing ‘opt-out’ option amidst ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to that privileged group of students/ aspirants, who are living in big cities/ green zones and thus they have no problem in appearing in the said examination,” it had said.
It had said that free transportation and accommodation should be provided to the aspirants near their respective examination centres.
It had further sought directions to the authorities to conduct mandatory free COVID-19 test of all aspirants and teachers and staffs deployed at the examination centres. PTI
