A bunch of Chartered Accountant (CA) students has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, demanding for postponement of exams amidst elections so that they can participate in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The petition has been filed as the Delhi High Court previously rejected the petition. However, the senior members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) came forward to support the CA students' demand.
The Lok Sabha 2024 elections will continue till June 1, 2024. Adjacently, the exams will take place from May 2 to May 17, 2024, causing hopelessness for students who want to vote but wouldn't be able to do so due to the exam dates getting merged with the elections.
Renuka Jain, Financial and Tax Advisor has requested the Prime Minister of India to accept the student's appeal to postpone the exams. She further highlighted the point that it is important for Chartered Accountants to choose a good leader for their nation. Also, Anurag Garg, a member of ICAI stated, “I understood from ICAI that out of 4 lakh students only 10k wanted to postpone exams. Huge logistics arrangements are to be made for exams. Still, it will be better if exams are postponed by 1 week.”
Students across the country have expressed that it is the constitutional right of every adult to vote and hence, they shouldn't be deprived of this right. One student quoted, "ICAI doesn't care about 2 lac+ students' constitutional right...every single student has the right to vote." Another student expressed doubts about the ability of students to prioritize voting during exam stress.
Previously, the Delhi High Court has dismissed a similar petition. Yet, the CA students have filed this petition in the Supreme Court. The students are eagerly waiting for the Supreme Court's decision in this matter. The court's response will be of immense importance to about 4,46,000 CA students, who are looking forward to casting a vote.
ICAI has already released the admit cards for the exam and students are focussing on the exam preparation in between the legal case going on in the Supreme Court.
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