DNA Edit: Caesar’s wife - Apex court judges should be transparency personified

Julius Caesar, the Roman politician, military general and historian, when asked why he had divorced his second wife when her fidelity was not in question, uttered what is now regarded as one of the great truisms in popular history: ‘Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion’.

A great public figure is supposed to be above any reproach, whatsoever. Happily, this little maxim has survived the test of time. In this age, you could apply this to any situation — even the Indian Supreme Court. Wearing the cloak of transparency, judges of the apex court, who resolved in August 2009 to voluntarily disclose their assets/valuables, have apparently not been able to live up that hoary ideal.

Ten years down the line, when the court is basking in the glory of having achieved full working strength of 31 judges, only seven of them have cared to disclose their assets! Obviously, what applies to the world, does not apply to their Lordships. Happily, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and his two successors, namely Justice SA Bobde and Justice NV Ramana, have led by example.

Of the other judges who have updated information of assets on the Supreme Court website, include Justices Arun Mishra, R Banumathi, AM Khanwilkar and Ashok Bhushan. But the fact is that apart from this group, the other brother judges have chosen not to disclose their assets in terms of the August 2009 Full Court Resolution.

Interestingly, at the time of a judge’s appointment, information about his or her assets is to be submitted to the CJI or Chief Justice of the High Court concerned. This is in keeping with a May 7, 1997 Resolution of the Full Court of the SC. While the character of our apex court judiciary is unimpeachable, minus a few dishonourable exceptions in the past, a bit of transparency will always serve as a beacon light.