8. Authorised representatives.

 Any person, not being a legal practitioner, a chartered accountant or a person regularly employed by an assessee, shall be entitled to appear on behalf of an assessee before any wealth-tax authority or the Appellate Tribunal as provided in section 44 of the Act, if he—

           ( i)  has at any time before the 1st day of October, 1957, appeared before any income-tax authority in the capacity of an income-tax practitioner; and

            ( ii)        has not been disqualified to represent an assessee in any income-tax proceeding by reason of any direction made under sub-section (5) of section 288 of the Income-tax Act, 1961.