SC Judges To Make Assets' Declarations Public Amid Cash Row

Sitting Judges of the Supreme Court have decided to make the declaration of their assets publicly available, in a step towards transparency and boosting public confidence in the judiciary. The decision was taken at a full court meeting on April 1 and will also apply to future judges. This marks a significant shift from previous practice, where asset declarations were mandatory only for the Chief Justice of India (CJI) but optional for public disclosure.

The move comes in the wake of growing concerns over opacity in the judiciary, especially after a controversy surrounding the alleged discovery of burnt wads of cash at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma following a fire incident. He was transferred to the Allahabad High Court following the controversy. However, the Supreme Court later clarified that his transfer wasn't related to the cash discovery row.

Previously, Supreme Court judges were required to declare their assets to the CJI as per a 1997 resolution. However, while a 2009 decision allowed for the voluntary publication of these declarations on the court's website, not all judges opted to do so. With this latest resolution, the Supreme Court has collectively decided to make asset disclosures publicly accessible, reinforcing its commitment to accountability.

The judges, at the meeting, decided to disclose their assets to the Chief Justice of India. The declarations will also be uploaded on the Supreme Court’s official website. The specific modalities for publishing the judges’ asset declarations will be finalised in due course, the report stated.

A few days before the Law Ministry in the Parliament answered questions on assets owned by judges. The Ministry had said that the declaration of assets is completely on a voluntary basis in line with the Supreme Court Constitution bench judgments.

Among the judges who have already submitted their asset declarations are Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Justice BV Nagarathna, Justice Vikram Nath, and Justice JK Maheshwari.