“The Law Minister wanted a draft of the proposed law to be prepared. It has been prepared. Now it will depend on how it is taken forward,” the officer said.

It is learnt that in an earlier meeting with the CJI, Moily had discussed the contours of the proposed law. The CJI had also informed Moily about the reasons behind the judiciary’s reservations to its assets being made public.

Asked what purpose the proposed law would serve if the assets of members of the judiciary continue to be outside the purview of the RTI Act, the officer said the information though not in public domain would “serve its purpose”.

“Once the law is there, if any member of the higher judiciary is under the scanner for corruption or irregularity, the agency that probes the charges can access the property details. But the Law Ministry agrees with the contention of the CJI that if the details of assets of judges are open to public scrutiny, they will be open to harassment and needless questions,” the officer said.