CA Hauled Up By ICAI For Sexual Harassment

Lalit Agrawal vs. ICAI (Delhi High Court)

The ICAI has jurisdiction to examine any conduct (including alleged sexual harassment) by a CA that would tend to bring disrepute to the profession or the Institute. The fact that the matter is pending trial before the Criminal Court is not relevant because the standards of proof
are different. The ICAI may or may not await the outcome of the trial depending on the circumstances (Gurvinder Singh 259 TM 311 (SC) followed)

This Court is unable to accept the contention that the Board of Discipline does not have the jurisdiction to examine the alleged misconduct on the part of the petitioner. Clause (2) of Part-IV of the First Schedule to the Act is wide, and would include within its scope, any conduct that would tend to bring disrepute to the profession or the Institute. If a Chartered Accountant is found to have been guilty in outraging the modesty of a woman and/or other offences involving moral turpitude, it would not be inapposite for the Board of Discipline to also conclude that the conduct did, in fact, lower the dignity of the profession. In this view, this Court is not able to accept that the proceedings before the Board of Discipline are without jurisdiction