Arjun (A) — Hey Shrikrishna, we have been meeting every month to discuss
the ethical issues, disciplinary mechanism and things like that. But
tell me, where shall I find all this information?
Shrikrishna
(S) —There are many sources. But you are always on the battlefield.
Always fire-fighting! Where will you find time to read. You can always
ask me!
A — That is alright. But you are not that easily accessible to all, no? That’s the problem.
S — That’s true. I am reachable by ‘Bhakti’ alone. True devotion my dear, real, genuine devotion
A — But if we want you to save us from disciplinary case, how do we worship you? What is the Bhakti that you like?
S
— That’s a good question. The best form of my worship is to do your
duty i.e. karma religiously. U nfortunately, many of you are operating
very loosely; in an unprofessional manner. You never upgrade your
skills.
A — Why? We do have to complete our quota of CPE hours ! 30 hours every year, You see !
S
— I know. Don’t tell me how most of you just ‘manage’ it. You people do
it merely as a compliance. That too, because it is compulsory! Its
spirit is lost.
A — And there also, we always seek ‘extension’. Anyway, first tell me which books to refer.
S — Arjuna, you CAs must have read a lot of books, but I bet you have not read your ‘CA Act, 1949’.
A
— Yeah, you are right. I am only aware that there is a CA Act. But have
never gone through the same. Perhaps it was there in our final CA
syllabus.
S — Great Memory ! But my dear, it was amended in the year 2006.
A — May be! Who has time to read? You see.
S
— Ah…the common excuse – ‘No time’! See Arjuna, your CA Act is the
base of Code of Ethics. And you should atleast make an effort to go
through that. Chapter V of that Act deals with misconduct.
A — Oh! I see. S — Next is CA Regulations. Just as you have Income tax Rules, there are CA Regulations also.
A
— Achha. But these are bare texts. How will I understand everything
only by reading these. Besides, reading bare texts is so boring!
S
— Ya…there you are! You also have a book – ‘Code of Ethics’ published
by your Institute. This is like a commentary. It has elaboration on
various sections and both the Schedules. At the end of this book, one
can also see Council General Guidelines.
A — Oh that’s good. That means I have to read CA Act, Regulations and this commentary. This is so less compared to Income tax!
S
— No, wait…there is more to it. For your better understanding, the
Institute has also published FA Qs. You also have Appellate Authority
(Procedure) Rules, Enquiry Rules and so on.
A — But, Prabhu,
sometimes I have practical doubts like, how to enrol an article, how to
open a second office and many such things. Reading these books and
guidelines will help me? Or should I call the Institute office directly.
S — Arjuna, your Institute is very smart!. For such practical
queries, you have a ‘Manual For Members’. It has all information like,
which form to fill up, what is the time limit, what is the limit for
enrolment of articles, how much is the fees etc.
A — Do we have any online material for quick reference?
S
— Yes, of course! Your generation does not want the pain to go through a
book!!!…Online search is always a better option for you guys.
A — Hey Bhagwan, you know me so well….you see, when its online, we can always do ctrl+F and make things faster!
S
— Yes… the famous ctrl+F and google search. That’s the reason your
generation is so fast. But most of the time its half baked knowledge.
Anyway, my dear Arjuna, all this material is available on the
Institute’s website. You also have ESB website.
A — ESB? What is that?
S — It is Ethical Standards Board. Do you remember CESURA?
A
— Ya…I had read about that in CA Final. As far as I remember it is
Committee on Ethical Standards and Unjustified Removal of Auditors.
S
— Yes, that CESURA is now renamed to ESB. Even ESB has got good
technical stuff on its website. It has also uploaded Ethics Plus, a
brochure in question-answer form. Why don’t you go through the ESB
website yourself? I can’t spoon feed you everything.
A — Wow….Bhagwan, I never knew, we have so much literature on our Code of Ethics.
S
— Arjuna, remember, this literature is for your help and clarity only.
But eternal vigilance still stands. Always be upright and independent.
That’s what your profession stands for. And that is my real worship.
Understand?
A — Yes, Prabhu! Well said!
Om shanti !!!!!
Note
This dialogue intends to give information about various technical materials available on the Code of Ethics.
