Plea For SOP For CA Exams : Supreme Court Asks Petitioners' Lawyer To Discuss Issues With ICAI's Counsel; Case Adjourned Till November 4

The Supreme Court on Monday considered a petition seeking a Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) for conducting Chartered Accountants(CA) examinations by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI).

As per the petition filed by a few CA aspirants, the ICAI has not taken adequate steps to ensure that the exams, scheduled to take place in November, are conducted in line with the MHA guidelines issued on account of the COVID19 pandemic.

Considering the petition on Monday, a bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna asked the petitioner's counsel, Advocate Bansuri Swaraj, to discuss the issues with the ICAI's lawyer, Senior Advocate Ramji Srinivasan.

"He is very resourceful. He will help you out with your issues", the bench told Advocate Swaraj, referring to the ICAI's counsel.

The bench opined that the case was more about "question of logistics" than "questions of law" and adjourned the hearing till November 4.

Advocate Swaraj submitted before the bench that unlike JEET/NEET exams, CA exams are spread over several days. She also pointed out that admits cards were issued yesterday.

Senior Advocate Srinivasan told the bench that he has circulated a brief note today morning highlighting the quick response to the causes of concern. 

Following this, the bench asked the petitioner's counsel to discuss the issues with the ICAI's lawyer.

The CA examination is scheduled to be held between November 21, 2020 and December 14, 2020. 

The Petitioners have alleged that the ICAI proposes to conduct the examination in absolute violation of the Central Government guidelines which prescribes a cap for candidates per exam hall. 

The Petitioners have pointed out that this time, the number of candidates appearing for the CA examination will be significantly higher as the May 2020 round of exam was cancelled and the same has now been merged with the exams due in November.

Thus, it has been urged by the Petitioners that any infraction in the safety and security standards would invariably lead to material infringement of Fundamental Rights of the candidates.

For a detailed report about the petition, read this report.