New Delhi: A bill making it mandatory for
judges of higher courts to declare their assets and
liabilities could not get the approval of the Union Cabinet
because of some changes being proposed.
The Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister last
night could not approve the judges assets and liabilities
bill, sources said today.
Certain changes have to be incorporated before the
cabinet takes a final call, the sources added.
It is learnt that under the proposed bill, High Court
judges will have to disclose their assets and liabilities
before the Chief Justice of their respective High Courts.
The High Court Chief Justices will send details of
their assets to the Chief Justice of India.
Supreme Court judges will have to declare their assets
to the Chief Justice of India, as per the proposed bill.
Chief Justice of India Justice K G Balakrishnan had
recently said that there was no need to put the assets and
liabilities of judges in public domain.
Law Minister M Veerappa Moily has maintained that the
government was against a confrontation with the judiciary.
"We will take judiciary into full confidence. We are not in a
confrontationist line," he had said.
Several eminent jurists and rights activists have been
demanding that the proposed bill on declaration of assets by
judges should have provision of public disclosure of assets to
make it more transparent.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, July 24, 2009, 23:05