ICAI told the Supreme Court on Monday that July is the most conducive time to hold CA exams as the Covid-19 spread is now at a substantially low level, offering an opportune moment for chartered accountants to further their professional career.

The CA examinations, which are conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in May, were postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic and are now scheduled to be held from July 5-20.

ICAI told the top court that as on date, the numbers of Covid-19 cases are comparatively low and thus it would be in the best interests of the candidates if the examinations are held according to the revised schedule and not cancelled or postponed.

A bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Aniruddha Bose said that as it has not received the ICAI note, it will hear the matter on Tuesday.

The top court is hearing a batch of pleas seeking different reliefs, including an opt-out option for the candidates, postponement of the exam, and increase in the number of centres this year.

At the outset, senior advocate Ramji Srinivasan, appearing for the ICAI, said they have circulated a note which if taken into consideration deals with some of the issues raised in the petitions.

Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for one of the petitioners, said they are not seeking deferment but want more centres to be given as many of them have been unilaterally closed by ICAI.