New Delhi [India] : In a major step toward promoting transparency and accountability in the judiciary, 21 out of 33 sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India, including Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, have publicly disclosed their assets. This marks a significant development in the judiciary’s efforts to build public trust and institutional integrity.
The Supreme Court announced that the remaining judges’ asset declarations will be uploaded on the official website as soon as their current statements are received.
Among those who have already disclosed their assets are the three senior-most judges who are next in line to assume the office of Chief Justice of India.
“The Full Court of the Supreme Court of India, in a meeting held on April 1, 2025, resolved that all judges of this Court shall place their statements of assets in the public domain by uploading them on the Court’s website. The statements already received are being uploaded, and others will follow as they are submitted,” the Court said in an official statement.
The Full Court meeting, presided over by CJI Sanjiv Khanna, saw a unanimous decision by all judges to make their declarations public. As per the resolution, every judge must declare their assets upon assuming office and whenever a substantial acquisition is made. These declarations will now be mandatorily published on the Supreme Court’s website.
The move comes in the wake of controversy surrounding the alleged seizure of a large amount of cash from the official premises of Justice Yashwant Varma during his tenure as a Delhi High Court judge. The development has intensified the call for greater transparency in the judiciary.