New Delhi Justice Sam Piroj Bharucha as CJI admitted that there was corruption in the judiciary.On December 22, 2002, he told an audience in Kollon, Kerala, “More than 80% of the judges in this country are honest and incorruptible. It is this smaller proportion that brings the entire judiciary into disrepute”.CJI Surya Kant on Wednesday acknowledged the mention of corruption in the judiciary in NCERT’s Class VIII textbook and termed it a “well-planned and deep-rooted conspiracy to malign the judiciary”, a move welcomed by former CJI NV Ramana.Justice Ramana said: “Should impressionable-minded students be imparted knowledge based on corridor gossip? What is the basis for NCERT’s attempt to defame the institution and demoralize the judges?”When told about former CJI Bharucha’s mention of corruption, Justice Ramana said: “The former CJI’s loose comments cannot be the basis for teaching corruption to students. This is incorrect. CJI Surya Kant was right about the matter. “Justice Bharucha had said: “In order to let people know that corruption within the judiciary will not be tolerated, it is necessary to investigate and expel corrupt judges.” CJI BR Gavai had admitted in June 2025 that corruption incidents had adversely affected public confidence in the judicial system after a large amount of cash was seized from the official residence of Justice Yashwant Varma. On June 3 last year, Judge Gawai said in a speech at the British Supreme Court on “Maintaining Judicial Legality and Public Confidence” that “Sadly, corruption and misconduct have also occurred within the judiciary. Such incidents will inevitably have a negative impact on public confidence and may undermine people’s confidence in the integrity of the judicial system.”In November 2010, the SC in its order “Raja Khan vs. UP Sunni Central Waqf Board” had said that something was “rotten” in the Allahabad HC. “We regret to say that there have been a number of complaints against certain judges…” it said. “Some judges have relatives practicing in the same court. After practicing for a few years, his son or relative becomes a multi-millionaire, owning huge bank accounts, luxury cars, big houses and enjoying a luxurious life,” the SC said.In August 2023, the then Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, claimed that “corruption is rampant in the judiciary”, which simply stung a hornet’s nest. When the Rajasthan Supreme Council took notice of a PIL seeking action against Gehlot’s remarks, the chief minister was quick to offer an unconditional apology while expressing “full confidence in the judiciary”.
