Supreme Court judges will now reveal their asset details on the official website. This bold move comes after a cash-related allegation involving Justice Yashwant Varma.
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NEW DELHI: In a major development that promotes honesty and openness in the Indian judiciary, all 33 sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India have decided to publicly disclose their personal assets.
This information will be made available to everyone by uploading the details on the official website of the Supreme Court.
Full Court Meeting Held on April 1, 2025
This important decision was taken during a Full Court Meeting held on April 1, 2025.
In this meeting, all the Supreme Court judges came together and passed a formal resolution.
This resolution is not just for the current judges but will also apply to all new judges appointed in the future.
Why This Decision Was Taken?
This step comes at a time when there have been several concerns and controversies about the lack of transparency in the judiciary.
Recently, a huge amount of unaccounted cash was allegedly found at the house of Justice Yashwant Varma, who is currently a judge at the Allahabad High Court.
Such incidents have raised serious questions about the accountability of judges.
To rebuild public trust and ensure honesty in the judicial system, the Supreme Court has taken this bold and necessary move.
Past Decisions on Judges’ Asset Disclosure
This is not the first time the issue of asset disclosure has come up. Let’s look at the timeline:
- 1997: A resolution was passed in which Supreme Court judges were required to disclose their assets to the Chief Justice of India (CJI). This was a mandatory rule, but it was not meant for the public.
- 2009: After growing public pressure and demands for more transparency, the Supreme Court took another important step. On August 26, 2009, it was decided that judges could voluntarily publish their asset details on the court’s website. However, this was optional, and each judge could decide whether or not to make their details public.
- 2025: Now, for the first time, the Supreme Court has decided that publishing asset details will not be optional anymore. All judges will now openly declare their assets online, and this will become a regular practice for all future judges as well.
Importance of This Move
This decision is being seen as a historic step in increasing transparency and trust in the judicial system of India. When judges reveal their personal assets, it shows their commitment to honesty, fairness, and accountability.
It also helps in preventing corruption and maintaining the integrity of the judiciary.
This step is also likely to boost public confidence in the Supreme Court and the Indian legal system as a whole.
The 1997 Resolution – Internal Disclosure
In 1997, the Supreme Court of India made a decision that required all its judges to disclose their assets. Here are the key points:
- Mandatory Disclosure: Every judge had to share the details of their personal assets.
- Internal Reporting: These details were submitted directly to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and were kept within the judicial system.
- Not Publicly Available: The information was not made available to the public; it was solely for internal monitoring.
The main purpose of this resolution was to ensure that the financial matters of the judges were under scrutiny, thus maintaining accountability within the system.
The 2009 Resolution – Optional Public Disclosure
Later, in 2009, there was increased demand from the public and media for greater transparency in the judiciary. In response, the Supreme Court passed another resolution with the following features:
- Voluntary Publication: Judges were given the option to publish their asset details on the Supreme Court’s official website.
- Not Compulsory: Unlike the 1997 resolution, this decision was not mandatory. Judges could choose whether or not to make their asset information public.
- Focus on Transparency: The aim was to build public trust by allowing judges who were willing to be transparent to share their financial details openly.
Changes Leading to the 2025 Decision
Before 2025, judges were required to disclose their assets internally (as per the 1997 resolution) and had the option to publish them online (as per the 2009 resolution). However, public disclosure was never mandatory.
In 2025, the Supreme Court decided to make public disclosure compulsory. Now, all judges, both current and future, must publish their asset details on the official court website. This new rule marks a significant step towards complete transparency in the judiciary.
| Year | What Happened? | Public Disclosure? | Mandatory? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Judges must disclose assets to CJI | No | Yes |
| 2009 | Judges may publish assets on website | Yes | No (optional) |
| 2025 | Judges must publish assets on website | Yes | Yes |
Key Takeaways
- This is part of a larger effort to bring more transparency and trust in the justice system.
- All Supreme Court judges will now publish their assets online.
- This rule will apply to current and future judges.
- The decision was taken during a Full Court Meeting on April 1, 2025.
- The move comes after recent controversies over corruption in the judiciary.
CJI’s EARLIER ACTION
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has previously initiated a high-level in-house inquiry against Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma after a large amount of unaccounted cash was reportedly recovered from his residence.
The discovery came to light following a fire at the judge’s home, according to media reports.
To investigate the matter thoroughly, the CJI Sanjiv Khanna has formed a 3-member committee comprising top judges from different High Courts. The committee includes:
- Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court
- Justice GS Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court
- Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the Karnataka High Court
This panel will conduct an in-depth probe into the allegations and submit its findings as part of the Supreme Court’s internal inquiry process.
Along with this, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court has been instructed by the CJI not to assign any judicial work to Justice Yashwant Varma until the investigation is completed. This means the judge will not be handling any court cases for the time being.
A detailed report regarding the recovery of cash and Justice Varma’s official response has already been submitted by the Delhi High Court Chief Justice. This report is expected to be made public soon on the Supreme Court’s official website, as confirmed by court sources.
Following the incident, the Supreme Court Collegium initially recommended transferring Justice Varma back to the Allahabad High Court, which is his parent High Court. However, further discussions among the top judiciary led to a stronger response.
During a full court meeting of all Supreme Court judges held recently, it was collectively felt that a simple transfer would not be a sufficient step. The judges agreed that stronger and more concrete action needed to be taken to uphold the integrity of the judiciary.
As a result, the full bench unanimously approved an in-house inquiry, with the transfer to Allahabad being treated only as an initial step. The transfer order is currently in process, but it still requires formal clearance from the central government before it takes effect.
This high-profile case has attracted significant public attention and sparked discussions about transparency and accountability in the judiciary. The Supreme Court’s swift action sends a clear message that no one is above scrutiny, even within the judiciary itself.
SUPREME COURT EARLIER STATEMENT
Recently, there has been a lot of confusion and wrong information spreading among people regarding something that happened at the house of a respected judge, Justice Yashwant Varma, who is a judge in the Delhi High Court.
Some people are talking and guessing things without knowing the full truth. Because of this, the Supreme Court of India gave a clear statement to stop these rumours and make things clear for everyone.
“There is misinformation and rumours being spread with regard to the incident at the residence of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma…”
These words were said officially to make sure that the public understands that not everything being said online or by word of mouth is true.
The Honourable Supreme Court said that many people are spreading fake news and making people confused.
They are mixing two separate matters and thinking it is one issue.
The statement explains that there is a proposal regarding the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma. He is the second most senior judge in the Delhi High Court. He is also part of the Collegium, which is a group of top judges who help in taking big decisions regarding judges’ appointments and transfers.
The Supreme Court clearly said that the suggestion to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma to another High Court has nothing to do with any inquiry or investigation that might be going on. It is a totally different thing. The High Court where they are planning to transfer him is the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, which is actually his original or parent High Court. In that court, after the transfer, he would become the ninth most senior judge.
“The proposal for transfer of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, who is the second senior most Judge in the Delhi High Court and a member of the Collegium, to his parent High Court i.e. the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, where he will be ninth in seniority, is independent and separate from the In-house enquiry procedure.”
This quote shows that the transfer plan is just a normal administrative decision and not a punishment or result of any investigation. The transfer decision was taken after a proper meeting of the Collegium. The Collegium includes the Chief Justice of India and the four other most senior judges of the Supreme Court. They all met together on 20th March 2025 to discuss this proposal properly and seriously.
“The proposal was examined by the Collegium comprising of the Chief Justice of India and four senior most Judges of the Supreme Court on 20th March 2025, and thereafter letters were written to the consultee Judges of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justices of the High Courts concerned and Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma.”
After this meeting, the Collegium sent letters to other important judges to take their opinions. These judges include other Supreme Court judges, the Chief Justices of the Delhi High Court and the Allahabad High Court, and also to Justice Yashwant Varma himself. They asked for their thoughts on this transfer plan.
“Responses received will be examined and, thereupon, the Collegium will pass a resolution.”
This means that once all the replies and suggestions from these judges come back, the Collegium will study them carefully and then take the final decision by passing a formal resolution.
In short, the Supreme Court wants the public to understand that there is no link between the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma and any internal inquiry. Both are different matters. The transfer is just part of normal court procedure, and it is being handled in a proper and respectful way by the highest judicial authorities of the country.
The court also wants to stop all fake news and unnecessary rumours, so people do not get the wrong idea or doubt the judicial system.
BACKGROUND
The Supreme Court of India today started an internal investigation, called an in-house inquiry, against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court. This step was taken after a large amount of unaccounted cash was found at his house.
Apex Court constitutes 3-judge in-house committee to enquire into allegations against Delhi HC Judge Yashwant Varma.
This serious situation came to light after a fire broke out at the judge’s residence. According to media reports, the fire brigade reached the house to control the fire, and during their work, they found a huge pile of money. This unexpected discovery has raised many questions.
Following this, the Supreme Court has asked for a detailed report from the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya.
According to reports,
“A fire at the judge’s house had inadvertently led to the recovery of cash by the firefighters, media reported.”
This shocking incident brought the matter into public attention.
After this, the Supreme Court Collegium, which is a group of senior judges responsible for appointments and transfers of judges, decided to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma back to his original High Court, the Allahabad High Court.
However, all judges of the Supreme Court gathered for a full court meeting on Friday morning. In this meeting, many judges expressed their opinion that just transferring the judge would not be enough. They said that strong and proper action must be taken to maintain the dignity of the judiciary and people’s trust in the court system.
Because of this, an internal investigation has now officially started. The process to transfer Justice Varma is still going on, but it has not yet been approved by the central government.
On the same day, Justice Yashwant Varma did not attend the court. His court staff informed in open court that he was on leave.
Justice Yashwant Varma was born in the year 1969. He completed his law degree (LLB) from Rewa University, located in Madhya Pradesh. He began his legal career in 1992 after enrolling as an advocate. He worked in several important legal roles. He was appointed as special counsel for the Allahabad High Court and also served as the chief standing counsel for the Government of Uttar Pradesh. His long experience and legal knowledge helped him grow in his profession.
In the year 2013, he was given the title of Senior Advocate, which is a big achievement for any lawyer in India. He was then appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court in October 2014. After showing good work and gaining more experience, he was made a permanent judge in February 2017. Later, he was transferred to the Delhi High Court. He officially took charge of his duties in Delhi on 11th October 2021.
This case has now become a big topic of discussion in the legal world and among the general public. It also brings into focus the accountability and transparency expected from members of the judiciary. Many people are now watching closely to see what action will be taken next and how the justice system handles such serious matters involving its own members.
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