Breaking: This is a landmark in judicial transparency, as the asset declarations of all Supreme Court judges, including the Chief Justice, go public for the first time.
NEWS DESK, New Delhi, May 6: A major step for transparency, as the Supreme Court makes top judges’ financial declarations public.
Asset Declarations Now Online
For the first time, the Supreme Court of India has made its judges’ assets and liabilities public. These declarations are now available on the court’s official website.
The details include the personal asset disclosures of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and 30 other judges. This is a major shift from the earlier system, where such declarations were submitted confidentially to the Chief Justice.
Each judge now has a “View” link on the SC website, allowing citizens to read their financial details directly. Among the publicly listed names are Justice BR Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S. Oka, BV Nagarathna, and MM Sundresh.
Why This Move Matters
The decision to publish these records was taken during a Full Court meeting on April 1. The meeting, chaired by CJI Khanna, saw unanimous agreement among the judges to go public with their declarations.
This historic step comes after controversy erupted over the alleged recovery of unaccounted cash from Justice Yashwant Varma’s official residence. At the time, he served as a judge of the Delhi High Court.
That incident raised concerns about transparency and prompted the Supreme Court to act. Unlike in the past, the Full Court has now resolved to mandate online disclosure for all judges going forward.
Setting a Precedent for Judicial Reforms
Legal observers believe this could be a turning point. If adopted widely, this transparency model may inspire High Courts and even lower judiciary to follow suit.
A senior advocate at the Delhi High Court told The Legal Observer, “This move strengthens public trust. It shows that the judiciary is not above scrutiny.”
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Supreme Court, judges’ assets, judicial transparency, asset declaration, CJI Sanjiv Khanna, Supreme Court website, public disclosure, Indian judiciary, judicial reforms, legal news India
