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Last edited on 14/05/2025, 12:25am

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Only 95 out of 795 judges across 25 HCs, SC have declared assets: Data

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Asset Declaration by Judges

Recently, a pledge by Supreme Court judges to declare their assets publicly was made during a full-court meeting. Currently, only 95 of 795 active judges across 25 High Courts (HCs) and the Supreme Court have disclosed their assets, representing about 12%.

Current Status

Kerala High Court: 41 out of 44 judges have declared their assets.
Himachal Pradesh High Court: 11 out of 12 judges have made declarations.
Punjab and Haryana High Court: 30 out of 53 judges disclosed their assets.
Delhi High Court: Only 7 out of 36 judges declared their assets.
Madras High Court: 5 out of 65 judges have disclosed their assets.
Chhattisgarh High Court: 1 out of 16 judges has declared assets.
Eighteen other High Courts, including Allahabad and Bombay, have no publicly disclosed information.

Reasons for Asset Declaration Initiative

The initiative was prompted by allegations of unaccounted cash found at Justice Yashwant Varma's residence, leading to his transfer and an investigation by a three-member committee appointed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

Judicial Misconduct Mechanism

Nearly 30 years ago, the Supreme Court established an in-house mechanism for investigating judicial misconduct, allowing the CJI to review complaints and appoint a judicial committee. Asset declarations remain voluntary, governed by internal resolutions.

Legislative Framework

The Constitution, through Articles 124(4) and 217(1)(b), allows for impeachment of judges for "proved misbehaviour" or "incapacity".
The Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, outlines a complex impeachment process with no successful cases to date.
The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, introduced in 2010, proposed enforceable standards and mechanisms for complaints against judges but ultimately lapsed in 2014.

Recent Developments

In August 2023, a Parliamentary Standing Committee recommended legislation requiring judges to annually declare their assets. This initiative aims to enhance transparency and accountability within the judiciary.

Government Response

On March 27, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Rajya Sabha that the issue of mandatory asset declaration was considered by the Supreme Court, as per a question raised by MP Manoj Kumar Jha.