Sun Apr 06 16:08:09 UTC 2025: ## Supreme Court Judges to Publicly Disclose Assets Following Fire at Justice’s Residence
**New Delhi, April 6, 2025** – A recent fire at the Delhi residence of a High Court judge has spurred a significant move towards greater transparency within India’s judiciary. Following the incident involving Justice Yashwant Varma, where partially burnt currency notes were reportedly found, all 33 Supreme Court judges have agreed to publicly disclose their assets.
Currently, only 12.35% (95 out of 769) of judges across India’s 25 High Courts voluntarily disclose their assets online. While some High Courts, such as Kerala (93.18% disclosure) and Himachal Pradesh (91.66%), show high rates of disclosure, others lag significantly behind. The Delhi High Court, for example, has seen a sharp decline in disclosure from 2018, with only 7 out of 38 judges currently disclosing their assets.
The Supreme Court’s decision follows a recommendation from a 2023 Parliamentary Standing Committee report which urged mandatory annual asset declarations for all High Court and Supreme Court judges, citing the public’s right to know. The report highlighted that this practice is already standard for civil servants and other constitutional authorities. The Supreme Court’s declaration will be available on their website once technical preparations are complete. The move is a significant step towards greater accountability and transparency within the Indian judiciary.
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