The Supreme Court of India judges unanimously agreed on Thursday, April 3, to declare their assets to Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Thirty out of 33 judges, including the Chief Justice, have submitted their details. Judges must inform the Chief Justice of any significant asset additions, but publication remains optional. The information regarding their assets will be uploaded on the apex court's website. This comes days after the alleged discovery of cash found from Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma's residence after a fire incident on March 14.
After the incident, Justice Varma was transferred to the Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court had ordered an in-house probe into the discovery of cash from the judge's Lutyen's Delhi residence. The discovery of cash also reignited discussions on the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, which the Supreme Court had previously struck down as unconstitutional.
Also Read | Centre transfers Justice Yashwant Varma to Allahabad High Court.
The NJAC Act was passed by both houses of Parliament with near Unanimity. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar brought up the Act in Parliament following the incident, saying it bothered him that the discovery "happened and did not immediately surface.”
The Vice President said that “if the malaise had been dealt with, perhaps we would not have countenanced such kind of issues”.