SC judges declare assets: CJI Khanna has FDs worth Rs 55.75 lakh, CJI-designate Gavai has Rs 19.63 lakh in bank-OxBig News Network

In a major step towards transparency in the judiciary, the Supreme Court has for the first time published statements of assets of 21 of the 33 judges on its website.

The publication follows a Full Court decision taken by the top court on April 1, days after the alleged recovery of a huge amount of cash at Justice Yashwant Varma’s house in the national capital.

CJI Sanjiv Khanna – who is demitting office on May 13 — has Rs 55.75 lakh in a fixed deposit, a three-bedroom DDA flat in south Delhi, and a four-bedroom apartment measuring 2,446 square feet in the Commonwealth Games Village in East Delhi; 56 per cent share in a four-bedroom flat in Sector 49, Gurugram; share in Dev Raj Khanna HUF. He is also a part owner in a house in Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh.

The CJI has an investment in Public Provident Fund of over Rs 1.06 crore, LIC Money Back Policy yearly premium of Rs 29,625 and shares worth Rs 14,000. He has 250 grams of gold, 2 kg of silver — mostly inherited/gifted and a 2015 Maruti Swift car.

His successor, Justice BR Gavai – who is to take oath as the next CJI on May 14 — has more than Rs 19.63 lakh in the bank, a house in Maharashtra’s Amravati inherited from his deceased father, apartments in Mumbai’s Bandra and Delhi’s Defence Colony, and agricultural lands in Amravati and Nagpur. Justice Gavai has movable assets including gold ornaments and jewellery worth Rs 5.25 lakh, his spouse has jewellery worth Rs 29.7 lakh and a cash deposit of Rs 61,320.

Justice Surya Kant, who will become the CJI on November 24, 2025, has a house in Sector 10, Chandigarh, 13-acre agricultural land in Panchkula, and a 300 square yard plot in Gurugram, among other immovable properties. He also jointly owns with his wife a ground floor and basement (285 sq yard) in Greater Kailash-1 in New Delhi. He has fixed deposits worth Rs 4.11 crore, gold ornaments worth 100 grams and three valuable watches.

Justice Abhay S Oka, who is due to retire on May 24, has a residential flat in Thane, an undivided share in agricultural land in Thane, and a fixed deposit worth Rs 21.76 lakh, besides savings worth Rs 9.1 lakh.

Justice Vikram Nath owns a two-bedroom flat in Noida, a bungalow in Civil Lines, Prayagraj, and 20 bighas of agricultural land in Kaushambi district of UP. He has investments worth Rs 1.5 crore.

Justice PS Narasimha has more than Rs 35.49 crore investment/bank deposits, besides an inherited property in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad, a House in Sector 15-A in Noida and a flat in Sector 99, Noida.

Justice KV Viswanathan, who was elevated to the top court directly from the Bar on May 19, 2023 and had a roaring practice before his elevation — has declared that he has investment of almost Rs 121 crore and properties in Safdarjung Development Area and Gulmohar Park in Delhi besides an apartment in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.