Government mulls law to make judges disclose assets

Law Minister M Veerappa Moily on Friday announced that the government would introduce legislation in the coming budget session of parliament to ensure that judges declare their assets and liabilities.

"I have sent the file to the law secretary to study the draft and I expect the study to be over in next two days," Moily told reporters here.

Refusing to give the details of the draft, the minister said: "The judges are going to declare the asserts and liabilities. It is wrong to assume that they (judges) are against it. We are not on a confrontational line with the judiciary."

Moily said the draft legislation would be introduced in the budget session beginning July 2.

In India, it has always been debated whether judges of the apex court, high courts and city courts should disclose their assets and liabilities.

Supreme Court judges now voluntarily file a statement about their assets and liabilities with the chief justice of India (CJI). But the CJI has so far refused to place the statements in the public domain, insisting a law be first enacted to prevent misuse of such information.