ICAI cancels CA May 2020 exams, to be merged with November exams

New Delhi: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has cancelled the Chartered Accountants (CA) May/July exams 2020 in view of Coronavirus pandemic. A combined exam for both May and November session exams will be conducted in the month of November, this year. ICAI released an official notice on Friday evening regarding the cancellation of exam.

Earlier the ICAI CA May exam was scheduled for May 3 which was then postponed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The ICAI had planned to conduct the exam between July 29 and August 16.

“On a review of above developments and in order to ensure the interest of its students and their well-being, the Institute has decided to cancel May 2020 Examinations and merge the May 2020 attempt with November 2020 Examinations, with due carryover of all benefits already available to students including fee paid and exemptions. The students who have made application for May 2020 Examinations will have an option to change the group(s) of their appearance and centre of Examinations at the time of making a fresh application for November 2020 Examinations, which, subject to conditions prevailing at relevant time, will start from 1st November 2020. It is again clarified that in this schema, the students will be free to exercise the options afresh for the groups that they intend to appear in the November 2020 examinations,” reads the official notice.

“Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India vide its Guidelines dated 29th June 2020 has extended the closure of all schools & academic Institutions and academic congregations till 31st July 2020. Select State Governments have put extended prohibitions in their respective States. Post the said Notification dated 29th June 2020, many Schools/ Academic Institutions have expressed their inability to provide their premises to conduct the Examinations,” ICAI said in the statement.

ICAI had on Thursday, informed the Supreme Court that it would assess the feasibility of conducting CA exams. The top court was hearing through video conferencing a plea which has challenged the ‘opt out’ option provided by the ICAI to the candidates alleging that it “arbitrarily” discriminates between the aspirants in the May cycle of examination.The apex court had said that ICAI should be flexible on the ‘opt out’ issue and change of examination centre as the situation prevailing due to the pandemic was not static and continuously changing.