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A plea has been filed in Supreme Court to set aside ICAI notification dated June 5, 2021 with respect to CA Exams for May 2021 cycle averring that the same does not have an opt out option.

The plea seeks issuance of a new notification providing opt out option for those willing to opt out before and during exam and carry forward all the benefits. 

“If adherence to the CoVID safety measures and vaccination is not possible by ICAI, then ICAI may be directed to postpone the instant CA exams scheduled to commence from July 6, 2021 to any subsequent period, post normalization of CoVID crisis and till completion of vaccination of students, invigilators and other staff but the said exam of May 2021 should not be taken along with November 2021 Cycle Exam”, the plea states.

Filed through Advocate Anubha Sahai on behalf of 987 CA aspirants from 20 states and 3 Union Territories, the plea seeks for giving an extra chance/ extension  or opt out to those students who are appearing for Intermediate and Final Course examination under the old syllabus and for directing the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to forthwith formulate and lay down separate, exclusive guidelines for conducting CA exams.

To provide at least one exam center in every district of India and to conduct exams in a staggered manner the plea also seeks for an increase in the number of exam centres and for provision of at least one stand by exam centre in a nearby location for those centres which are likely to go in containment zone during the period of July 6, 2021 to July 20, 2021 and July 24, 2021 onwards.

Pursuant to this, the petitioners have also prayed for issuance of directions to grant fresh option to choose exam centre to each aspirant without prejudice to the centre already opted by him/her in lieu of the impugned announcement dated June 5, 2021.

Furthemore the plea seeks for provision of free transportation and accommodation to desirous students, conduct of mandatory free CoVID 19 tests of all the students/ aspirants, teachers, invigilator and staff deployed at the exam centres and issuance of guidelines to concerned authorities to treat eAdmit cards issued to aspirants as E passes enabling free movement of students.