Supreme Court Judges Agree to Publicly Disclose All Assets on Website following Delhi HC Judge Scandal
The Judiciary has been at the centre of the issue following the allegations and discoveries raised against the arraigned Delhi High Court Judge.
The Supreme Court has been conducting uncommon moves one after the other, with the latest development being a resolution requiring all sitting judges to publicly disclose their assets. The decision was taken in a full court meeting consisting of all 33 judges of the Supreme Court on 1 April, 2025, led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Sanjiv Khanna. Read More: Delhi High Court Judge...
The Supreme Court has been conducting uncommon moves one after the other, with the latest development being a resolution requiring all sitting judges to publicly disclose their assets. The decision was taken in a full court meeting consisting of all 33 judges of the Supreme Court on 1 April, 2025, led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Sanjiv Khanna.
The Judiciary had been under fire recently following the alleged discovery of crores of cash at the official residence of Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma during a fire mishap. The matter was met with great outcry from the public, members of the government and the legal fraternity alike.
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In a completely unprecedented move, the Supreme Court of India had released transcripts of letters communicated between the CJI, Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Yashwant Varma who has now been repatriated to the Allahabad High Court, but has been kept abstinent from judicial duty. Netizens had a field day following the seizure of cash with calls for higher transparency and review of the judicial impunity ringing across all quarters.
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Public pressure, coupled with growing calls from within the legal fraternity, has forced the Supreme Court to take decisive action to ensure accountability within the judiciary.
The issue of judicial transparency has been a matter of debate for decades. In 1997, the Supreme Court had passed a resolution requiring judges to declare their assets to the Chief Justice of India, however, this information was kept confidential.
In 2009, amid increasing pressure and internal dissent within the judiciary, the Supreme Court took another step forward by agreeing to voluntarily publish judges’ asset declarations on its website.
This decision, taken during the tenure of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, was largely seen as a response to public outrage and the stand taken by Justice D.V. Shylendra Kumar, who openly criticized the lack of financial disclosure in the judiciary. However, even after this move, asset declarations remained voluntary, and several judges refrained from making their details public.
The April 1, 2025, resolution now mandates that all Supreme Court judges submit their asset declarations to the Chief Justice, who will ensure that the details are uploaded on the Supreme Court’s official website. Unlike the 2009 resolution, this one is said to put a check to any discretionary powers that judges may exercise for voluntary disclosure.
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While members of the legal fraternity have hailed the move for reinforcing trust in the judiciary, some have raised concerns of the move possibly leading to frivolous litigation against judges.
While concerns of frivolous litigation against judges remain a reality, the changes shall be instrumental in averting the lesser of two evils.
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