Over 470 disciplinary cases filed against CAs till July this year

The number of disciplinary cases registered against chartered accountants (CA) in the first six months of this year was twice as many as that of the same period in 2016, a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) plea has disclosed.

These cases involve members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently sought action against erring professionals.

These cases involve malpractices like cheating, forgery and fraud.

Till July this year, 474 cases were registered, while 460 cases were registered throughout 2016.

Response elicited from the RTI query, filed by advocate Mohit Kumar Gupta, also revealed that only 10 cases in 2017 were deemed closed at the prima facie stage.

There is not a single case where hearing was concluded or any of the accused was found guilty.

"The increase in number of cases is because most of the time agencies complain and inform us about corruption, but don't come forward to file official complaints. Also, it takes time to deal with these cases," said a police official, adding that all these cases are judicial in nature.

"This is because the court process is very long and it takes time for concluding investigations, collecting evidence and conclusion of the hearing. We also transfer many cases to fast-track courts," he added