If HC judges want to become heroes it is their wish: Moily

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily virtually backed Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan on the issue of assets declaration by judges.

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily on Wednesday virtually backed Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan on the issue of assets declaration by judges and said if judges were voluntarily disclosing their assets and wanting to become heroes,it is their wish. Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan has already made his views known on the issue. If the judges are voluntarily disclosing their assets and wanting to become heroes,it is their wish, he said replying to questions from reporters on the issue which has gained more prominence with some judges volunteering to make their assets public.

However,a legislation pertaining to the issue was already before Parliament,Moily said on the sidelines of inauguration of the Alternate Dispute Resolution Cell here.

The judges of the Supreme Court have to disclose their assets before the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court while the judges of the High Courts have to declare their assets before Chief Justice of High Courts,Moily said.

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Justice Balakrishnan had said on Monday that a consensus was needed on disclosure of assets by Supreme Court judges to the Chief Justice of India. …every High Court judge has got the freedom to declare assets. No problem on this. His remarks had come in response to declaration of assets by Justices Shylendra Kumar of Karnataka High Court and K Kannan of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Justice Kumar had stirred a hornets nest by saying in a newspaper article that the CJI cannot speak on behalf of the entire judiciary on the issue.

On Sunday,the CJI had hit back saying Justice Kumar was publicity crazy. He,however,said the High Court judges were free to declare their assets if they want.

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