Allahabad HC judge Justice Yashwant Varma resigns amid impeachment proceedings

In one of the most significant and consequential judicial developments in recent memory, Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court has tendered his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, stepping down from office with immediate effect as impeachment proceedings against him were approaching a decisive stage .

In his resignation letter dated April 9, the judge expressed “deep anguish” over his decision, stating that he did not wish to burden the President’s office with the reasons behind it. “It has been an honour to serve in this office,” he wrote. A copy of the resignation was also marked to the Chief Justice of India.

The controversy traces back to March 14, 2025, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s official residence in Lutyens’ Delhi, then allotted to him as a judge of the Delhi High Court. During firefighting operations, stacks of cash , some reportedly over 1.5 feet high , were discovered at the site, triggering a major public uproar . Justice Varma and his wife were in Bhopal at the time, and he consistently denied any ownership of the recovered cash.

Then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna constituted an in-house inquiry committee of three judges , which submitted its report in May, prima facie finding his culpability . The Chief Justice subsequently forwarded the report to the President and the Prime Minister, recommending removal proceedings .

Following this, notices of impeachment, backed by 145 Lok Sabha members and 63 Rajya Sabha members , were moved in both Houses of Parliament in July 2025. The Lok Sabha Speaker later constituted a three-member inquiry committee under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. Justice Varma also challenged the panel’s constitution before the Supreme Court, but the apex court declined relief, observing that he was not entitled to any relief in the present case .

With his resignation, Justice Varma is understood to lose the constitutional immunity available to sitting judges, potentially opening the door for criminal proceedings . The impeachment process to remove him as a High Court judge is also expected to come to an end , according to parliamentary sources.

The case has left a deep imprint on public discourse around judicial accountability , and its final chapter is still unfolding.