ICAI Notifies CA Madhukar Hiregange’s Resignation from 26th Central Council; Southern Region Seat Becomes Vacant

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has formally notified the resignation of CA. Madhukar Narayan Hiregange, FCA, from the 26th Central Council of ICAI. The notification is dated September 1, 2026 and appears in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part III, Section 4. ICAI also placed the development in its announcements on September 2.

The official notification, No. 54-Bye-EL(1)/1/2026, records that Hiregange, membership number 027409, was a member of the 26th Council from the Southern India Regional Constituency. It states that he resigned from Council membership through his communication dated August 23, 2026 read with a further communication dated August 28, 2026.

What the Gazette notification changes

The notification has a specific statutory effect because it has been issued under Section 13(1) of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949. The official India Code text of that provision says a Council member may resign by writing addressed to the President and that the member's seat becomes vacant when the resignation is notified in the Official Gazette.

Accordingly, this is more than an internal announcement of an intention to resign. The Gazette publication is the statutory step that makes the Council seat vacant under Section 13(1). For members tracking the composition of ICAI's elected leadership, the affected constituency is the Southern India Regional Constituency.

How a casual Council vacancy is dealt with

Section 13 also sets out the framework for a casual vacancy. Under Section 13(3), a casual vacancy is to be filled by a fresh election from the constituency concerned or by nomination by the Central Government, as the case may be, and the person elected or nominated holds office until the dissolution of the Council.

The provision contains an important timing qualification. Where a casual vacancy occurs within one year before the expiry of the Council's duration, the Act says no election is to be held to fill that vacancy; the vacancy may instead be filled by nomination by the Central Government after consultation with the President of the Council. The Gazette notice itself does not announce the next step for filling the present vacancy, so any subsequent election or nomination process should be tracked separately through ICAI or Government notifications.

What ICAI has and has not stated

The official two-page Gazette publication is narrow. It identifies the member, constituency, statutory provision and the dates of the resignation communications. It does not give a reason for the resignation. Readers should therefore distinguish the formal legal record from commentary or explanations that may appear elsewhere.

The notification is signed by CA. (Dr.) Jai Kumar Batra, Secretary, ICAI, and carries advertisement reference ADVT.-III/4/Exty./302/2026-27. The Gazette record is numbered 525 and is dated September 1, 2026.

Continuity of Council actions

The Chartered Accountants Act also addresses continuity when a seat is vacant. Section 13(4) provides that an act done by the Council cannot be called into question merely because a vacancy exists, or because of a defect in the constitution of the Council. That provision is relevant when interpreting the immediate institutional effect of a Council member's resignation: the vacancy does not, by itself, invalidate Council business.

Practical takeaway for ICAI members

For chartered accountants and professional-body watchers, the immediate verified development is that CA. Madhukar Narayan Hiregange's seat on the 26th Council from the Southern India Regional Constituency has become vacant following the September 1 Gazette notification. The next item to watch is whether ICAI or the Central Government announces the statutory mechanism for filling the casual vacancy. Until such a notice is issued, the official record should not be read as identifying a successor or prescribing a fresh-election timetable.

Official source: View the official source document

Key takeaway

Fresh ICAI announcement backed by a September 1 Gazette notification, with a clear statutory angle under Section 13 and immediate relevance to ICAI members tracking Council composition.