India’s apex court judges go public with their assets

In an epoch making decision, India’s highest judiciary- the judges and the chief justice of the country’s Supreme Court, have made public their assets. The disclosure made on the Supreme Court said ‘the above declaration of assets is purely on voluntary basis’.

For the past two months the higher judiciary has been in the eye of a storm in a manner of speaking with voices for and against disclosure of the assets of judges. Some judges, notably from Karnataka High Court have gone to the media with their intention to make public disclosure of their assets. Some saw a virtue in the move.

Others felt that the judiciary will unnecessarily expose itself to ‘attacks and litigation’. The discussion was a sequel to a ruling from the Delhi High Court (Sept 2) that the office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) falls under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and that the assets of apex court judges disclosed to CJI under the existing provisions, could be made public.

The disclosure to the CJI was according to a decision taken by the apex court judges on May 7, 1997.

So, two months after that momentous judgement, the debate ended on Monday Nov 2 with Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan and 20 judges of the Supreme Court making public their assets. The assets of Justice B N Agrawal, who retired on 15th October, are also given, ‘at his request’.

According to Chief Justice Balakrishnan, assets relating to real estate and investments made even in the name of dependents of judges would be on the website.

The Law Minister Veerappa Moily has hailed the ‘asset disclosure’ as ‘an excellent gesture’ by the highest judiciary. The decision proved the ‘the integrity of Indian judiciary was the highest.

Going by these ‘disclosures’, the Chief Justice’s assets include a two-bedroom flat in Ernakulam, house at his native place in Thrikkakara South ( Kerala), a vacant residential plot (444.44 sq yard) in Faridabad ( a Delhi suburb), a Santro Car, – total value worth around 18 lakhs. His wife has about 20 sovereigns of gold jewellery. He owns a small car (Santro) but has no investments in shares and fixed deposits.

-Asian Tribune -