New Delhi, May 6 (UNI) In a landmark step towards transparency, the judges of the Supreme Court have begun declaring their personal assets on the official court website.
This decision was made unanimously in a full court meeting held on April 1.
As of Monday night, the declared assets of 21 out of 33 sitting judges have been made public.
The disclosures include movable and immovable properties, liabilities, as well as details of the assets held by their spouses and dependents, where applicable.
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, who assumed office recently, has declared Rs 55.75 lakh in fixed deposits and bank accounts, Rs 1.06 crore in his Public Provident Fund (PPF), a two-bedroom DDA flat in South Delhi, a four-bedroom flat in the Commonwealth Games Village, and 56% ownership in a Gurugram apartment (the remaining share is held by his daughter). He also has a stake in an ancestral home in Himachal Pradesh.
Justice B R Gavai, set to become CJI on May 14, has Rs 19.63 lakh in bank accounts, Rs 6.59 lakh in PPF, and inherited properties, including a house in Amravati and agricultural land in Amravati and Nagpur. He has declared liabilities amounting to Rs 1.3 crore.
Justice AS Oka, retiring on May 24, has Rs 92.35 lakh in PPF, Rs 21.76 lakh in fixed deposits, a 2022 Maruti Baleno, and a car loan of Rs 5.1 lakh.
Justice Vikram Nath owns a 2-BHK apartment in Noida, a bungalow in Allahabad, inherited farmland in Uttar Pradesh, and has investments worth Rs 1.5 crore.
Justice Surya Kant has joint ownership of residential properties in Chandigarh, Gurugram, and Delhi, and holds 31 FDs totaling Rs 6.03 crore.
Justice Bela M Trivedi owns a house in Ahmedabad and another under construction. Her investments include Rs 60 lakh in mutual funds, Rs 20 lakh in PPF, Rs 50 lakh worth of jewellery, and a 2015 Maruti Swift.
Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia has stated that all his immovable assets were acquired before his elevation to the bench. His old Maruti Zen Estilo, currently unused, is located in Dehradun.
Justice Sanjay Kumar has declared a comprehensive stock portfolio that includes major companies such as Reliance Industries, Infosys, Tata Steel, and State Bank of India, among others.
Justice K V Viswanathan, a former leading advocate who became a Supreme Court judge in May 2023, disclosed investments totalling RS 120.96 crore. His income tax payments from 2010–2024 amount to Rs 91.47 crore, reflecting his highly successful legal career before joining the bench.
The Supreme Court’s move to publicly disclose judges’ assets marks a major push towards institutional integrity and openness in the judiciary.
Legal experts have hailed the move as a confidence-building step in promoting public trust.
