Justice Yashwant Varma has resigned as a judge at the Allahabad High Court amid an impeachment process to remove him over corruption allegations. Varma had been under fire after the recovery of a huge stash of cash from his home in Delhi last year. He had then denied that the cash belonged to him.
In his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu, Justice Varma did not mention any reason for this sudden decision.
“While I do not propose to burden your august office with the reasons which have constrained me to submit this missive, it is with deep anguish that I hereby tender my resignation from the office of Judge of Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, with immediate effect,” read his letter dated April 9.
Read: “With Deep Anguish”: Full Text Of Justice Yashwant Varma’s Resignation Letter
With him resigning, the process of impeachment to remove him as a high court judge will come to an end, said sources in the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Upon his resignation, Justice Varma would be entitled for pension and other benefits that a high court judge gets after retirement. He would have been deprived of the benefits if he was removed by the Parliament.
The impeachment process is tied to the recovery of a large amount of cash from Justice Varma’s official residence in Lutyens Delhi on March 14, 2025. At that time, he was serving as a judge at the Delhi High Court. The burnt cash was allegedly found in a storeroom near the servants’ quarters. Justice Varma and his wife were in Bhopal at that time.
The judge had denied that he or his family members ever kept cash in the storeroom. He had also said that the room was accessible to all.
Read: Centre Begins Impeachment Of Justice Yashwant Varma, Caught In Cash-At-Home Row
On March 22, 2025, the Supreme Court had formed a three-judge committee to conduct an in-house inquiry into the matter. On May 4, a panel comprising three senior judges submitted its report to then chief justice Sanjiv Khanna.
The court had then taken away judicial work from Justice Varma at the Delhi High Court. It had transferred him to his parent Allahabad High Court and asked its Chief Justice not to assign any judicial work to him. In an unprecedented move, the court had also uploaded photos and videos of the cash allegedly recovered from Justice Varma’s house.
In July last, the impeachment process began for the removal of Justice Varma as a judge. In August, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla set up a three-member committee to probe the charges against him. Earlier this year, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the process was underway and the government was awaiting the report of the committee.