In a landmark decision aimed at enhancing transparency and reinforcing public trust in the judiciary, the Supreme Court of India has, for the first time in history, published the asset declarations of its judges on its official website.
This monumental step comes following a Full Court meeting held on April 1, 2025, which was presided over by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna. During this meeting, all sitting judges of the Supreme Court unanimously agreed to make their assets and liabilities public.
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“The Full Court has resolved that the placing of declarations of assets on the Supreme Court website will be mandatory.”
As a result, the asset declarations of the Chief Justice and 20 other sitting judges have been uploaded. This includes the three judges next in line to become the Chief Justice of India in the near future. The disclosures are accessible directly from the Supreme Court's official website.
Until now, Supreme Court judges were required to submit their statements of assets and liabilities to the Chief Justice. However, those statements remained confidential and were not available for public viewing.
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This unprecedented move towards openness is seen as a response to recent controversies involving the judiciary. Notably, concerns arose following allegations of cash recovery from the official premises of Justice Yashwant Varma, while he was serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court. Although this incident involved a High Court judge, it raised broader questions about transparency in the higher judiciary.
"This is a historic first. Never before have the personal asset declarations of Supreme Court judges been made public," a senior court official confirmed.
Legal experts and judicial commentators have widely welcomed the initiative, calling it a bold and much-needed reform. They believe it sets a strong precedent for other courts and helps to ensure accountability at the highest levels of the judicial system.
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By making this information public, the Supreme Court has taken a major step towards aligning with international best practices on judicial transparency and public integrity.
With this move, the judiciary hopes to strengthen the credibility of its institutions and reassure the public that those entrusted with upholding the law are also committed to being accountable themselves.
“Transparency is essential for public confidence in the institution. This initiative by the Full Court reflects that spirit,” stated a former Supreme Court judge.
The declarations can now be viewed by citizens, legal professionals, and researchers alike, marking a significant moment in the Indian judiciary's evolution toward greater openness and ethical governance.
The asset declarations:
S.No.NameAssets1Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Chief Justice of India View2Hon’ble Mr. Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai View3Hon’ble Mr. Justice Surya KantView4Hon’ble Mr. Justice Abhay S. OkaView5Hon’ble Mr. Justice Vikram NathView6Hon’ble Mr. Justice J.K. Maheshwari7Hon’ble Mrs. Justice B.V. Nagarathna8Hon’ble Mr. Justice M.M. SundreshView9Hon’ble Ms. Justice Bela M.TrivediView10Hon’ble Mr. Justice Pamidighantam Sri NarasimhaView11Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sudhanshu DhuliaView12Hon’ble Mr. Justice Jamshed Burjor PardiwalaView13Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dipankar Datta14Hon’ble Mr. Justice Pankaj MithalView15Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sanjay KarolView16Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sanjay KumarView17Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah18Hon’ble Mr. Justice Manoj Misra19Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rajesh BindalView20Hon’ble Mr. Justice Aravind Kumar21Hon’ble Mr. Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra22Hon’ble Mr. Justice K.V. ViswanathanView23Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ujjal BhuyanView24Hon’ble Mr. Justice S. Venkatanarayana BhattiView25Hon’ble Mr. Justice Satish Chandra Sharma26Hon’ble Mr. Justice Augustine George MasihView27Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sandeep MehtaView28Hon’ble Mr. Justice Prasanna Bhalachandra Varale29Hon’ble Mr. Justice N. Kotiswar Singh30Hon’ble Mr. Justice R. Mahadevan31Hon’ble Mr. Justice ManmohanView32Hon’ble Mr. Justice K. Vinod ChandranView33Hon’ble Mr. Justice Joymalya Bagchi
