The Central Information Commission may have ordered Supreme Court judges to declare their assets but it does not maintain details of "movable assets" of its own Information Commissioners.
In a recent Right to Information application filed by Bengaluru-based activist Arun Agrawal seeking to know movable assets of the Information Commissioners, who adjudicate on release of information, the Commission said, "No such information is maintained by it."
The stand taken by the CIC is in contravention to the recently enacted Lok Pal Act which makes it mandatory to declare movable and immovable assets of every official working in the government.
The website of the Central Information Commission has a column under which assets of all the seven Information Commissioners have been given summarily mentioning only properties owned by them and do not mention cash and other movable assets held by them.
Declaration of assets including cash is mandatory for MPs, candidates contesting elections and public servants including Supreme Court judges.
After the orders of the Central Information Commission, the Supreme Court judges have started declaring both their movable and immovable assets which are updated every year and posted on the website of the apex court. The order was upheld by Delhi High Court.
Justice Ravinder Bhat of Delhi High Court while upholding the order of the CIC had said, "... Norms of judicial ethics are placed in a continuum, evolving with contemporary challenges. Therefore, the introduction of the stipulation of declaring personal assets, is to be seen as an essential ingredient of contemporary acceptable behaviour and establishing a convention".
