Eminent citizens from various walks of life have appealed to Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan and judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts to voluntarily disclose their assets to advance the cause of transparency and probity in public life.

Remember Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court? The one who, as a receiver in 1993, was to collect Rs 50 lakh in a dispute between two parties but deposited it in his own account?

Information commissioners have chosen not to disclose their own assets' declaration on the CIC's website, in a development which may cause many to wonder whether the transparency watchdog has trouble following what it preaches to others.

THE RIGHT to Information Act, 2005 has changed the relationship of the people with the Indian state.

SOON after assuming office, President Barack Obama promised unprecedented transparency in the United States administration (http://recovery.gov/). Meanwhile, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, the Chief Justice of India, sought an exemption for his office from the purview of the Right to Information Act, 2005.