The demand for transparency in judiciary has reached the corridors of Central Information Commission
NEW DELHI: The demand for transparency in judiciary has reached the corridors of Central Information Commission as three separate cases related to holiday expenses by judges, their assets and applicability of RTI while seeking such details, will come up for hearing on Monday.
The tricky questions, which can have a bearing on public access to issues related to judicial transparency, will be heard separately in a single bench and two full bench hearings of the Commission.
The questions are linked to RTI pleas of Subhash Agrawal who had sought information about the number of issues pertaining to judicial transparency.
In one of his applications, he sought information regarding assets disclosure by sitting judges before the Chief Justice of India and Chief Justices of High Courts.
The full-court meeting of Supreme Court judges in 1997 had made it compulsory for "every judge to make a declaration of all assets in the form of real estate or investments held in their name or their spouse and any other person dependent on them to the Chief Justice."
Agrawal wanted to know if such a declaration of assets had ever been filed by judges of the Supreme Court before Chief Justice of India and High Court judges before Chief Justices of respective states.
The Chief Public Information Officer of Supreme Court while refusing to provide any details said the information was not with or held by Registry of Supreme Court of India.
In a separate request, Agrawal asked from Department of Personnel and training if judges of Supreme Court and High Courts are covered under the RTI ACT.
Not getting a satisfactory reply, Agrawal pleaded before the CIC to instruct the authorities to provide him accurate information.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}