The Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct is an international concept, a set of ethical standards for judges, not an Indian Act or statute. It originated from a meeting of the Judicial Integrity Group in Bangalore, India, from February 24 to 26, 2001, which examined a draft code and formulated the relevant principles. The Principles were created to establish a universal framework for regulating judicial conduct and to reinforce public confidence in the judiciary globally. The final draft was presented to the Round Table Meeting of Chief Justices in November 2002 and subsequently noted by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in April 2003.
The mechanism of the Principles is built around six core values that guide a judge's professional and personal life: Independence, Impartiality, Integrity, Propriety, Equality, and Competence and Diligence. For instance, the principle of Impartiality requires a judge to be unbiased and to recuse themselves where conflicts arise, while Propriety demands avoiding the appearance of impropriety in all activities. The value of Integrity is encapsulated by the maxim that "Justice must not merely be done but must also be seen to be done".
The Principles connect to broader international concepts like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee the right to a fair hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal. They are intended to supplement, not replace, existing national laws and are promoted for implementation by judiciaries of Member States through Resolution 23 of the United Nations Social and Economic Council. The Principles themselves have not been recently replaced, but they are a living document intended to be implemented by national judiciaries, with a Commentary published to aid in their understanding.