21 of 33 top court judges declare assets; step seen as boost to judiciary's credibility
The judiciary may be the weakest of the pillars of democracy if one were to assess them by the people and the machinery at their command but it gains its strength from the moral high ground it has claimed for itself. There are many elements that sustains this place, which include the fairness with which it handles matters, the impartiality it demonstrates when called on to adjudicate on complex matters and the transparency with which the institution works. The latest decision of the Supreme Court of India to place the annual statement of assets it received on its website for public perusal is a landmark that will add to the glory of the institution.
As it stands today, the asset statements of 21 of the 33 judges of the Supreme Court have been published in the statement and those of the other judges will also be published as they are filed, as per the Supreme Court. The process will reach its logical end when the other judges as well as those in the high courts also follow in their footsteps and declare their assets for the public to view. At some point, it may be extended to the lower judiciary, too.
There have been allegations of corruption against the judiciary at all levels, and they were raised by members of the legal fraternity itself.
A judge of the Supreme Court is on record saying half of all judges in the higher judiciary are corrupt and surveys have pointed to people’s low esteem for the judiciary when it comes to probity. It is not that the judges do not know that they have been hit with muck but there have been no serious attempts to correct the wrong. The publication of the assets of the members of the highest court of the land may be seen as the first step towards cleaning that mess.
