A first move to restore public trust in judiciary

The discovery of a pile of currency notes at the residential premises of a sitting Delhi high court (HC) judge in March severely dented the image of the judiciary though the Supreme Court transferred the judge in the spotlight, Yashwant Varma, to his parent bench, Allahabad HC, and announced an in-house probe.

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Questions have been raised about whether institutional checks are in place to ensure probity within the judiciary and eliminate potential corruption.

The unanimous decision of 33 judges of the Supreme Court that they will make their assets and liabilities public has to be seen against this backdrop. It will help in restoring public trust in the judiciary, surely, while sending out the message that it is mindful of institutional probity.