New Delhi: Favouring accountability of judges, former Chief Justice of India Justice J S Verma has said they should not be exempted from declaring their assets.

Reacting sharply to some high court judges opposition to the move on declaration of assets, Justice Verma said the government should go ahead with the Judges (Inquiry) Bill 2006 which has such a proposal.

"Transparency and accountability must attach the functioning of everyone who wields public power. Judges are as much accountable in a democracy as anyone else...judges should be no exception," the former CJI told Karan Thapar s programme `India Tonight.

"At any rate, we do declare all our assets to income tax authorities," said Verma.

The former CJI advised the government to go ahead with the Bill and not buckle down, in view of the overwhelming opposition of some high court judges to the Bill. "I think the image of the judges will go down if this is not done," he said.

Recommending an effective mechanism for enforcement of judicial accountability at the highest level, including the Chief Justice of India, the former CJI asked the government to "ensure that the independence of judiciary is not tinkered with."

Source : PTI