The ICAI has currently scheduled examinations from 2nd May to 18th May, coinciding directly with the crucial period of the general elections in India. This overlap has raised serious concerns as it places an insurmountable obstacle for over 4 lakh+ students who are faced with the dilemma of choosing between exercising their democratic right to vote and fulfilling their academic obligations.
ICAI is forcing students to boycott the election and it is a huge threat to the democracy of India. Moreover, a substantial portion of students registered for these examinations reside in metropolitan areas, while their native addresses are often in distant hometowns or states. This geographical barrier severely restricts their ability to travel back to their hometowns to cast their votes, thereby infringing upon their constitutional right to participate in the electoral process. It is significant to mention that even the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations, originally scheduled for 26th May, have been postponed recognising the significance of enabling citizens to exercise their voting rights without any impediments. Students and their parents along with the teachers were giving voice to postpone the exams on social media and by signing various petitions online for the past one week
On 25th March ICAI has announced that students can change their exam center for one last time but in reality no students are willing to change their exam center from their place they study to the place of their hometown( from where they have to vote) since there is not much days to study and it may affect their examination preparation, This notification by ICAI is just to cover the noise and protest made by the CA Aspirants and their parents, this(allowing the students to change their exam centre on last minute) is not going to make the students to accomplish their democratic right to vote.
Another serious note is that the students who are going to appear on the exams are mostly first time voters. Postponing the examinations would not only uphold the democratic principles enshrined in our Constitution but also demonstrate a commitment to fostering active civic participation among the youth of our nation.
An aggrieved ICAI student