Petition on assets of judges dismissed

New Delhi, May 15: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition which contended that judges, including the Chief Justice of India, were under an obligation to divulge their assets if sought under the Right to Information Act.

A bench of justices Arijit Pasayat and P. Sathasivam termed the public interest litigation as thoroughly misconceived.

The petition, filed by K.G. Kannabiran, president of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), maintained that the Chief Justice of India can’t deny the information on the mere ground that the judges were constitutional authorities.

The petitioner submitted that judicial independence does not give the judges the power to withhold information which may be required to be disclosed in public interest. (PTI)