In a renewed effort to push for the postponement of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAI) Chartered Accountant (CA) exams, the aspirants have finally decided to take the legal route.
The Delhi High Court is set to hear the petition filed by CA aspirants on Monday, April 8, against the CA exams which are scheduled to take place from May 2 to 17, alongside the 18th Lok Sabha general elections.
So, what are the students’ expectations from the upcoming hearing? In a conversation with EdexLive, the students shared that they are looking at one of three outcomes — postponement of the examination to June 2024, an ‘opt-out’ option from the May 2024 session or an assurance that students’ safety would be ensured while travelling amidst the elections.
However, the primary expectation of the aspirants remains the postponement of the exam.
An aspiring Chartered Accountancy (CA) candidate, on the condition of anonymity, told EdexLive, “Our only expectation from the upcoming hearing is the postponement of the exam to June 2024, that is our only wish. Personally, I feel an ‘opt-out’ option is not the solution to our problem as we want the exam process and elections to go hand-in-hand in such a way that we are able to practise our fundamental right.”
This candidate, who is a native of Bihar, informed that they will be appearing for the CA Final Group 2 examination on May 14 in Patna, approximately 175 km away from her hometown, while the polling is scheduled to be held on May 13.
Several other candidates have highlighted safety concerns while travelling during elections as one of the reasons for seeking postponement.
However, in case the court declines to interfere or postpone the examination, the aspirants said, they are hoping for an ‘opt-out’ option for the students who would be most affected by the clash between exams and elections.
To recall, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court had directed ICAI to provide an 'opt-out' option to the affected candidates. In such cases, the particular exam would not be considered as an attempt.
Anshul Nama, another aspiring candidate from Kota, Rajasthan, said, “Of course, the only and primary demand is postponement of the exam. However, if that doesn’t happen we are also hoping for an opt-out option, especially for students who are genuinely affected by the situation. For example, my polling booth and exam centre are both in Kota, however, it is still inconvenient to go and vote a day before the exam. But there are students who have to travel for hours, amid safety concerns, to reach the exam centres. This option might help them in certain ways.”
The students added that they have sent multiple representations to the Election Commission as well as ICAI before approaching the high court, demanding that their safety be ensured as a large section of the aspirants would be required to travel amid elections, rallies and heavy traffic jams.
“These are genuine concerns and we hope they will consider the same unless students’ votes do not have any value for the country,” added Anshul.
