Supreme Court judges follow a conservative financial approach, mostly investing in fixed deposits and provident funds. Their asset disclosures show limited exposure to high-risk investments like stocks, reflecting a cautious financial strategy.
New Delhi: A review of Supreme Court judges’ disclosed assets reveals a generally conservative investment approach, with the majority favoring bank deposits, fixed deposits, and provident funds. Only two judges did not provide a detailed breakdown of their financial assets.
The disclosed assets, including those of spouses and dependents, indicate that every judge owns at least one real estate property. Three judges possess assets exceeding Rs 25 crore, while another three have financial assets ranging from Rs 5 crore to Rs 25 crore.
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Eight judges have financial assets between Rs 1 crore and Rs 5 crore, and seven have savings under Rs 1 crore, with four of those having less than Rs 50 lakh.
In total, 21 of the 33 judges who disclosed their assets held a combined Rs 270 crore in financial instruments. Collectively, these judges and their spouses also owned 73 real estate assets and approximately 12 kg of gold.
Excluding the two judges who did not provide segregated details, the financial assets of 19 judges totalled Rs 128.5 crore. This amount includes Rs 86.19 crore in FDs and bank deposits, Rs 25.44 crore in General and Public Provident Funds, and Rs 16.87 crore in shares and mutual funds.
“In other words, FDs, GPF and PPF of the 19 judges account for 86.9 per cent of their total financial assets, underlining the conservative nature of their financial portfolios.”
Justice K.V. Viswanathan, a successful lawyer before his appointment to the Supreme Court in May 2023, accounts for over half of the total savings of the 21 judges. His financial assets of Rs 137 crore represent more than 50% of the total financial assets of all 21 justices. He has also disclosed paying Rs 91.47 crore in taxes between 2011-12 and 2024-25, including Rs 6.7 crore in the Assessment Year 2024-25.
Justice Viswanathan, with 137 crore in assets, has not segregated it into cash, mutual funds and shares. The other judge who has not provided segregated details, Justice Vikram Nath, has declared financial assets of Rs 4.75 crore.
The real estate holdings of the 21 judges include a mix of agricultural land, residential plots, flats, and commercial properties. They collectively own 29 flats and 13 houses, along with 19 plots, seven parcels of agricultural land, and five offices or shops.
Much of the gold and silver held by the judges was declared as “stree dhan” property received voluntarily by a woman from her family. They also hold significant amounts of silver (64.5 kg). These figures do not include ancestral or inherited properties.
Justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, Manmohan, and Viswanathan account for the majority over 79% of the total financial savings of the 21 judges.
Several judges also disclosed that their financial assets include gifts from parents who have been income tax assesses, and that these gifts have been reported to and accepted by the income tax department over the years.
Regarding real estate ownership, at least five judges own five properties, nine have four to five properties, and the remaining seven have up to two properties.
Two judges own a single property each. Some judges noted that most of their immovable properties were acquired before their judicial appointments, during their time as lawyers.
Regarding vehicle ownership, 15 judges collectively own 20 cars, while six others do not own any.