What's New

Supreme Court Judges to Publicly Declare Personal Assets

Why in the News ?

In a historic move, all 31 Supreme Court judges have unanimously agreed to publicly declare their assets, reaffirming the 1997 judicial ethics code. This step aims to enhance transparency, accountability, and public trust in the higher judiciary.

Background: The 1997 Ethics Code for Judges

• The Restatement of Values of Judicial Life, adopted in 1997, serves as a foundational ethics code for the Indian judiciary.
• It outlines dos and don’ts for judges, emphasizing impartiality, integrity, and dignified conduct.
• Judges must avoid political views, close associations with lawyers or parties, and refrain from public interviews or statements.
• They are advised not to accept gifts (except from family), not to contest elections, or hold office in clubs or associations.
• This code laid the groundwork for judicial accountability, influencing all future reforms.

Current Development: Declaration of Assets

• In a full court meeting on April 1, all 31 Supreme Court judges resolved to publicly declare their assets.
• This follows a similar 2009 resolution, when judges agreed to disclose assets voluntarily.
• The move aims to promote transparency and reinforce public trust in the judiciary.
• Declarations are to include assets like real estate and investments, ideally updated within a reasonable time after assuming office.
• However, the SC website has not been updated since 2018, raising concerns about transparency.

Judicial Accountability and In-House Mechanism

• The code and recent resolution reinforce judicial accountability through internal mechanisms.
• The in-house procedure, formalised in 1999, deals with misconduct that doesn’t amount to impeachment.
• Recent examples include inquiries against judges for alleged misconduct and sexual harassment.
• While judges are not legally bound (unlike civil servants), voluntary compliance is a crucial step toward ethical integrity in the judiciary.