TFS Gulf 
- CA Madhukar N Hiregange has resigned from ICAI’s Central Council.
- He announced the decision in a LinkedIn post on August 23, saying he would also surrender his Certificate of Practice (COP).
- His criticism extends to what he describes as groupism, institutional politics and the constant focus on elections.
ICAI Central Council member quits. Why?
Hiregange says his resignation was not due to a single incident.
For the past 18 months, he says he has been raising concerns about governance, ethics, elections, transparency, accountability and student welfare through meetings, written communications and personal discussions.
And here’s the interesting part.
He says he sent more than 50 detailed communications to ICAI Council members, government nominees, the Secretary and senior executives.
Yet, according to him, many of the issues still weren’t addressed.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t speak.
“My frustration arises because…there was too little willingness to listen,” he said.
He says he eventually reached a point where he could no longer align his values with how these issues were being handled.
“There is hardly any care” for students
This seems to have really bothered him.
During his tenure, Hiregange says he and his team worked on programmes around AI, GCCs, ESG, cybersecurity, digital transformation and other emerging areas.
They also ran nearly 50 weekly webinars on values, leadership, resilience, adaptability and lifelong learning.
But according to Hiregange, some of the basic student-related issues were still sitting on the back burner.
And his question is pretty simple:
If ICAI students are the future of the profession, why aren’t they getting more attention?
Instead, he says student welfare has not received the urgency it deserves.
Hiregange also raised questions around ICAI’s spending
He pointed to expenses such as:
- Past Presidents’ meets
- Branch and Regional Council meetings
- International travel
- Other institutional activities
ICAI & its events
Hiregange alleged that ICAI has become increasingly focused on conferences and events rather than professional development.
The split he referenced? 86% conferences vs 14% workshops.
And his description was pretty blunt: “We have become an event management monolith.”
And then comes the politics…
Hiregange also questioned the wider culture around ‘ICAI ELECTIONS’.
In a follow-up LinkedIn comment, he claimed that 15 of roughly 22 eligible Central Council members were standing for election to the Vice-President.
His argument? When so many people are focused on the next election, getting committees to actually work together can become difficult.
And Hiregange had another line that stands out: “Leadership requires more than securing votes. It requires moral courage.”
This struck a chord across the CA community
CA Madhukar N Hiregange’s resignation has opened a Pandora’s box of how frustrated and helpless the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India members are.
Hundreds of comments applauded Hiregange for speaking out, and they all echoed the same frustration:
- Why are ICAI office-bearers enjoying privileges, overseas travel and other perks while members and students ultimately bear the cost?
- Why is so little being done on the issues members actually care about?
- Why is the constant focus on elections taking priority over the Institute itself?
