Assets of 13% of High Court judges in public domain, 80% of those from just 3 HCs: Official data

Total fig of judges includes main justices of respective precocious courts arsenic good arsenic further judges. (Source: Websites of each 25 High Courts and Department of Justice, arsenic connected Sept 18, 2024)

These declarations lists their movable and immovable assets, and those of their respective spouses and dependents, and includes details of spot ownership and investment, specified arsenic successful shares and communal funds, fixed deposits, bonds and security policies — and liabilities specified arsenic slope loans. Some of the declarations see ownership of jewellery arsenic well.

Apart from the High Courts of Kerala, Punjab and Haryana, and Delhi, the judges whose plus declarations person been uploaded hail from the High Courts of Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Madras. The websites of these 7 High Courts bash not sanction the judges who person not declared their assets though the Delhi High Court’s website says “File not uploaded” for this category.

On September 18, The Indian Express reported that the Supreme Court posted a database connected its authoritative website of 27 of its 33 judges who person declared their assets earlier the Chief Justice of India though lone their names were provided and not their declarations. A Supreme Court authoritative told this paper astatine the clip that “public disclosure is purely connected a voluntary basis”. On the aforesaid day, The Indian Express reviewed the assets information of High Court judges made disposable connected the respective websites.

The wide numbers are significant, fixed that the Parliament’s Committee connected Personnel, Public Grievances, and Law and Justice had recommended authorities for mandatory disclosure of assets and liabilities of judges of Supreme Court and High Courts connected August 7, 2023.

Following this recommendation, The Indian Express sent queries connected August 28, 2023, nether the RTI Act, to 8 of the 18 High Courts that person not made disposable immoderate accusation connected the assets of judges, covering each regions of the country. The RTI queries sought to cognize the reasons for not posting this accusation successful the nationalist domain truthful far; erstwhile it would beryllium made available; details of objections, if any, by judges; copies of correspondence, if any, betwixt Supreme Court and High Court connected the issue; and a database of judges who person not declared their assets.

The responses, received betwixt September and December 2023, ranged from the accusation being labelled arsenic “personal” to stating that it was not covered nether the RTI Act:

* Asked astir making these declarations disposable successful the nationalist domain, the Allahabad High Court, which is the country’s largest presently with 84 judges, and the Bombay High Court said they were not covered nether the explanation of “information” nether the RTI Act.

* The Uttarakhand High Court provided a transcript of a solution it passed connected March 6, 2012, which stated that it “strongly objects to bring disclosure of assets by Judges nether the purview of Right to Information Act… Court is not averse to disclosure of assets by judges successful the Court website.”

* The Rajasthan High Court successful Jodhpur stated, “In lack of directions/provisions of posting the declaration connected website, expectations of making disposable connected website the declaration of assets and liabilities of each Hon’ble Judges of Rajasthan High Court cannot beryllium made.”

* The Gujarat High Court stated that it “does not find immoderate larger nationalist involvement for disclosure” of the “personal information”.

* The Andhra Pradesh High Court responded that “as the declaration of Assets is confidential, the said accusation cannot beryllium furnished”.

* The Telangana High Court said the assets and liabilities of the Chief Justice and judges “will not beryllium placed successful the authoritative website of the High Court arsenic the aforesaid is treated arsenic confidential arsenic per the solution of Supreme Court and truthful besides the solution of Full Court.”

* The Gauhati High Court stated, “As per the solution of the Hon’ble Supreme Court it’s not mandatory to bespeak the declaration of assets & liabilities of Hon’ble Judges successful the authoritative website of the High Court.”

* The Sikkim High Court responded: “Information sought by you is not disposable successful the records of their Sections nor the aforesaid has been published successful the website of this High Court.”

On May 7, 1997, the Supreme Court adopted a solution astatine a gathering chaired by the past Chief Justice of India, Justice J S Verma, which stated: “Every justice should marque a declaration of each assets successful the signifier of existent property oregon concern held successful their names, successful the sanction of their spouses oregon immoderate different idiosyncratic babelike connected them, to the Chief Justice.”

On August 28, 2009, a solution passed by the afloat tribunal of Delhi High Court stated: “All the judges are agreeable to marque their assets public.”

And connected September 8, 2009, the afloat seat of the Supreme Court resolved to state the judges’ assets connected its authoritative website connected oregon earlier October 31, 2009, adding that it was “purely connected a voluntary basis”.

Following respective RTI queries, the Supreme Court posted details of its judges’ assets and liabilities connected its authoritative website successful November 2009. They were followed by the judges of a fewer High Courts connected the respective authoritative websites. The details made disposable connected the Supreme Court website were not updated aft March 31, 2018, and, till a mates of months ago, the declarations of lone 55 erstwhile judges were available.