SC rejects appeal for CA exam postponement because of Lok Sabha elections
On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected a request to reschedule the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)’s Chartered Accountant (CA) exams. The new dates of the exams closely align with those of several states’ Lok Sabha elections.
A bench led by India’s Chief Justice, Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, declared that any change to the exam schedule would seriously interfere with the lengthy preparations already undertaken and might even injure other pupils.
The exams are scheduled to be held from May 2 to May 17, with specific concerns raised about the exam dates on May 8 and May 14 due to proximate election activities on May 7 and May 13.
On May 7, voting for the Lok Sabha elections’ third phase will start. On April 19, the first round of voting was held in 102 seats. On April 26, the second phase took place in 89 constituencies.
Exam scheduling is governed by policy decisions. The bench, which also included justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, stated that “the established schedule avoids election dates, despite the importance of the right to vote, and any adjustments now could gravely prejudice the over 4 lakh students enrolled.”
Senior counsel Madhavi Divan, speaking on behalf of a few CA candidates, stated that it could be difficult for students from far-flung places like Kalahandi to show up for exams that are scheduled right after election days.
She suggested offering a “opt-out” option to students who were negatively impacted by the schedule instead of a complete postponement, or expanding the number of exam locations.
Students from areas that need a lot of travel are disadvantaged, particularly those where election-related security measures hinder public transportation. More centers or an opt-out option could lessen this, according to Divan.
On behalf of the ICAI, senior counsel Ramji Srinivasan, however, objected to any postponement or alteration to the exam schedule, emphasizing the logistical measures already made, such as making sure that exam dates do not coincide with voting days.
“Adjustments have been made where necessary, with changes to centres for around 3,700 candidates who flagged issues, ensuring no clash with election dates,” Srinivasan said.
In the end, the highest court accepted the ICAI’s arguments and stated that the current arrangements do not call for judicial action. The ICAI has shown that it carefully considers when to arrange exams in relation to election dates. The panel dismissed the appeal against a ruling made earlier this month by the Delhi High Court, ruling that “this is not a scenario that necessitates our interference.”
