Rajasthan HC pulls up ICAI for withholding student's result

NEW DELHI: The Rajasthan High Court has pulled up the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India for withholding the result of a student over her e-mail, which she had sent to them.

The court last week ordered the ICAI to pay a cost of Rs 20,000 to the petitioner and release her mark sheet within 30 days. The court asked the institute to introspect and ensure the proper display of her result on its website.

Petitioner Risha Lodha had appeared in CA intermediate examinations in January this year. Before appearing for the exams, she sent an e-mail to the institute highlighting the COVID situation and saying if examinations are held, it may lead to an exponential growth in infection cases. She requested the Institute to develop an online infrastructure so that the examinations at all levels could be conducted online. Later, she was informed that her result has been put on hold due to "derogatory remarks" she made in her e-mail.

Justice Dinesh Mehta stated in the order that in future "the Institute will not take any such action and take any criticism in positive stride". This court adds, that a professional body like the institute should introspect and ensure that its overenthusiasm of attaining professional excellence and endeavors of setting high standards of discipline should not "stifle" the speech of a student or its member in the manner that has been done in the present case.

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