Court relief for disabled aspiring chartered accountants

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to relax the guidelines for disabled students appearing in exams conducted by it.

The division bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice R.S. Endlaw told the institute conducting the exam to allow a relative of every disabled student to act as a writer for him or her.

It also made clear that the writers for disabled students should not be related with the subjects like company secretary, commerce or corporate law. They should also not have any association with cost and works accountants courses.

The court's order came on a petition seeking quashing the fresh guidelines of the ICAI for the students with disabilities appearing for the chartered accountant's examination that commenced Wednesday.

According to recent guidelines issued by the institute, the writers - who could write exams for disabled students - should be less than 20 years, no relative could act as a writer and there could only be one writer throughout the exams spread over 15 days.

The judges directed the institute to allow the disabled students appearing for exam to change the writer throughout the examination.

They asked the examination committee of ICAI to consider the issue and make necessary amendments in the guidelines for the examinations in future, while making it clear that Wednesday's order was only for the on-going tests.

Petitioner Pankaj Sinha told the court that it was impossible to meet the guidelines as it was difficult to find writers below 20 years. He said most people under 20 years were busy in their own exams.

On the guideline that there can be only one writer throughout the exams that spread over 15 days, he submitted that it may not be possible for some writers to be available for the candidates due to sickness or personal urgency.

Another petitioner Subhash Chandra Vashishth said: "It is difficult to fulfil the condition and to find writers below the age of 20 and the examinees with disabilities are most likely to fall in the trap of missing their examination despite their good preparation."