'Higher judiciary equally accountable like trial court judges'

The higher judiciary is not "less accountable" and "different" from their counterparts at the lower court level on the issue of the declaration of assets, the Delhi High Court today said.

"The degree of accountability and answerability of a high court judge or a Supreme Court judge can be no different from that of a magistrate...The higher the judge is placed in the judicial hierarchy, the greater is the standard of accountability," said a three-judge bench headed by chief justice AP Shah.

The bench, in a major verdict, held that the CJI's office did fall within the ambit of the RTI Act, said that the onus to disclose assets was "greater" on the part of the Supreme Court and High Court judges.

"If declaration of assets by a subordinate judicial officer is seen as essential to enforce accountability at that level, then the need for such declaration by judges of the Constitutional courts is even greater," it said.

The bench said that the lower court judges have been declaring their assets for quite some time in accordance with the rules governing their service.

"Judges have to declare their assets (and this) is a requirement that is not being introduced for the first time as far subordinate judges are concerned. They have for long been required to do that year after year in terms of the rules governing their conditions of service," it said.